Rookie Year
by myboygeorge
Summary: The new addition to Meredeth and Esposito's lives is home from the hospital and all three are about to experience a year of firsts.  Rated M for language and possible future chapters.
1. First Night Home

It was Sunday night and the new Esposito had been home a whole seven hours. She'd been fed three times and changed four already, and from the furrowed brow she had, Meredeth suspected it would be time soon for a fifth fresh diaper as they sat in the living room with post-dinner coffee.

The Ryans, as promised, were over for dinner, a yummy vegetarian lasagne Lili had helped Meredeth make after her hours in the ER to treat her low blood pressure along with some salad and fresh rolls Rosalita had brought over for her son and daughter-in-law from her bakery. Upon their arrival, Dell had ignored the dinosaur toys he'd brought in favour of staying glued to Tessi's every move, even going so far as to ask Meredeth if Tessi was 'suh-nacky' when she was making a face at him. He'd also offered to share some tomato sauce off his plate with Tessi at dinner but Honey-Milk had to explain to him that Tessi drank milk and they all had a laugh when Dell nudged his sippy cup towards Tessi. Ryan reminded him that babies drank milk from their mothers and being two and a half year old boy, Dell wrinkled his nose at the idea of boobs.

'Give it about twelve years, champ,' Ryan had chuckled. 'Then you'll understand the appeal.'

Now they sat enjoying warm drinks to fend off the dampness of April with the fire going in the hearth and Tessi snuggled up with her daddy in the armchair.

'Fatherhood looks good on you, bro,' Ryan said, watched the way his partner's hands kept her steady against his chest as he rubbed her back in circles. 'You think you can handle all the midnight feedings and two in the morning diaper changes and the...well, I guess you don't have to worry about a briss for a girl do you?'

'Not really,' Esposito laughed, making Honey-Milk shake her head.

'You'd think he's a Marine or something the way he talks so tough, but I don't know who was crying more when we had Dell circumcised,' she teased her husband. 'But just think of all the stories you'll get to hear from Castle about raising a daughter. Goofy as he is, he'd have some good tips, I bet, considering how Alexis turned out.'

'And Lili too,' Meredeth added, 'there's two Esposito granddaughters now.'

'Mama.' Dell patted his mother's knee impatiently. 'Time for nee-dell?'

'Yes and then home to bed. Mommy and Daddy have to work in the morning and you're going to spend the day with Auntie Lanie.'

'Oh?' Meredeth lifted an eyebrow in interest.

'Lanie, ever the clever one, found out the Disney Store on Lexington is doing an interactive puppet show and the show is _Finding Nemo_, one of Carey's favourites.'

'Tessi's too lit-tell,' Dell declared. 'She stay here, safe an' soun'.'

'I think that's a good plan.' Esposito nodded, saw Tessi was stirring after her dinnertime snack-and-nap. 'Let the big boys play and in a little while, Tessi can join in.'

Honey-Milk smiled, stood up. 'Not too little. Enjoy it while she's tiny. Pretty soon she'll be up walking and talking and asking for one more story at bedtime.'

* * *

When Ryan and Honey-Milk and Dell had headed for home, Meredeth and Esposito took their precious gem upstairs, where Meredeth settled herself in her oversized armchair, nursing pillow on her lap and sweater pulled over her head. Esposito laid Tessi down on the pillow just seconds after she'd made her face for more milk and Meredeth had unfastened her nursing bra to let Tessi feed.

'I'm getting used to that feeling,' she told her husband as the little one had another snack. 'Robina told me when she was first nursing Kelley, she was such a little piglet, she sucked both her nipples raw.'

'Ouch.'

'Yeah, she had to pump out a lot, not just because of that, but so TJ and Gil could help out too.'

Esposito sat on the floor where Arturo had wandered in, groaned a little when the giant mixed-breed parked his ninety-five pound rump on his right thigh. 'Oh, you big bony thing, you've got no meat on your behind,' he told the dog who sat watching Meredeth and Tessi. 'Pretty different stuff, huh boy?'

'Don't worry Arturo, you're still my baby too.'

'I can't wait to take these two to the park.' Esposito grinned. 'It's gonna be such a blast.'

'I've been meaning to ask you, what's up with that one?'

'Why am I so fixated on going to the park?' When Meredeth nodded, Esposito smiled. 'The first memories I have of me and my old man spending quality time together are going to the park up on East Eighty-Eighth. It was great, there was monkey-bars and slides, and spaces to make sand castles or play soccer. I can't wait for Tessi and I to have that too.'

Meredeth's heart went to goo as she imagined a tot-sized Esposito running around on the playground. 'Were you always the cop in cops and robbers games?'

'Yeah. I tried to use my sister's skipping rope as an Indiana Jones bullwhip one time, that didn't go over well.'

'With the other kids?'

'No, the kids thought it was awesome. The mother of the kid I tied to the post of the swing-set and my mother...not so much.' Esposito blinked as he watched Meredeth shift Tessi. 'That was quick.'

'No, no, she's still hungry, we're just switching sides. Have to make sure they are both emptied, according to Harvey and Honey-Milk.'

It took another fifteen minutes to finish feeding her, and when Tessi was done, Meredeth once again sat her on her knee with one hand supporting her neck and the other firmly patting her back while Esposito shoved Arturo off his lap, knelt so he was facing Tessi.

'Look at you, bright eyes,' he gushed as she focused on him. Her little hand reached out and grabbed the middle knuckle of his index finger and when she burped, Tessi leaned back, still holding her daddy's finger. A few seconds later Meredeth was shaking as she tried to hold in the laugh.

'Mere? You okay?'

'Uh-huh,' she giggled, standing up to put Tessi on the change table. 'But she burped, and then when she grabbed your finger and leaned back, she let one go in her diaper.'

Esposito laughed, mocked admonished Tessi. 'Tessi, that's no way for a young lady to behave!'

'She says 'But Daddy, I have gas in my tummy, one way or another it's coming out', right Tessi?' Meredeth said, now full-on laughing as she unfastened Tessi's onsie to check her diaper. One sniff once it was open had the new mother nodding. 'Yep, apparently today's milk was her version of Indian food.'

* * *

By ten pm, Meredeth and Esposito were both exhausted. Tessi had been awake and alert for another hour or so after she'd been fed then went down for the count around nine, having slept from six to eight while Dell and the grown-ups ate their dinner. Once she was asleep, Esposito had crept downstairs to Meredeth's DVD shelf and picked out something light and fun that didn't require a lot of brain power and landed on _Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs_. She'd liked it, but when they'd watched it the first time together, Esposito had absolutely loved it and it became one of his favourite go-to relax movies; he found the colours of it very mellowing.

He brought the disc upstairs and found Meredeth in bed with her laptop, reading something on screen and laughing. 'What's so funny?'

'Robina, I let her log in to my Twitter the morning Tessi was born and post a photo of the two of us, remember?'

'Sure, sure.'

'I didn't realize she'd captioned it 'Say hello to my little friend!' and I'm reading all the tweets I've been receiving over the last two days.'

'Two thousand on Friday morning alone? Wow you are queen of the nerds, aren't you?' Esposito flopped onto his stomach, curled beside her to see the computer. 'I've gotten the walkie-talkie right here,' he added, holding up the baby monitor and putting it on his bedside table. 'We'll hear her no problem if she so much as breathes loudly.'

'Excellent. Check this out. *tiktokofaus, she's one of my biggest fans, she wrote 'Wow! Cannot wait to hear new mommy stories about you and your bub! Congrats to you and your hubby!' Isn't that sweet?'

'Very.' Esposito scanned the screen with her, tapped his finger at another one. 'Look at this. *joelkay writes 'congrats Meredeth and Javier looks like those Addison genes kicked in a little, huh?' It's your half-brother Joel.'

'I see. That was nice of him.'

After reading the list of tweet-tulations, as Meredeth called them, they settled into the big bed, Esposito's arm around Meredeth's shoulder while they watched their movie together . As he anticipated, Meredeth was snoozing before the arrival of the first rain of cheeseburgers. By the end of the film it was almost midnight and rather than waking Meredeth in anticipation of their daughter's midnight snack, he went downstairs to boil the kettle for some tea he knew she'd like when Tessi stirred.

Sure enough, he'd just finished pouring the water into the pot to steep when he heard the first gurgles through the baby monitor.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	2. First Midnight Snack

Esposito put the teapot, the mug and the fixings for Meredeht's rooibos tea onto a tray, took it upstairs. As Tessi wasn't fussing for dinner - he'd learned that cry well with Meredeth in the concentrated environment of the hospital - he put the tray on Meredeth's bedside table and the noise of it had her opening her eyes.

'Javi? Is the baby up?'

'Yeah.'

'Is she hungry?'

'I don't think so. Give me a moment.'

'Okay.'

He slipped out of their room, went into Tessi's nursery and after negotiating his stance around the protective Arturo, stood over her crib. He watched her focus on him a little bit before wiggling her arms and legs as she made a little pouty fac. 'Yeah, you're not hungry yet, are you Tessi girl?' he murmured, feeling her bottom. 'You just need a fresh set of pants don't you?'

Cradling her carefully, Esposito laid the little human on the change table, cushioning her head on a folded baby towel before unsnapping her plain white onsie. He blinked a little as he saw her cord stump still hanging out and though he knew it had no nerve endings and wouldn't hurt if it got bumped, Esposito still took extra caution when he unfastened her diaper.

The smell that rose was enough to make the veteran homicide cop blink extra hard; even Arturo, who'd come over to witness the action, was sneezing. 'Holy crap Tessi, and I do mean that literally. You're drinking mother's milk and some how you process it into this? That's talent, baby.'

He reached for the wipes and wiped down her soiled bottom, dropped all of the mess into the diaper genie. 'Okay, phase one is complete. Next stop, freshness island, population you.'

Esposito unfolded the diaper and remembering the move Honey-Milk had taught him, braceleted Tessi's ankles with his hand like she was a mermaid and hauled her legs into the air while he positioned the diaper underneath her. Before fastening it up, he reached for the jar of Vaseline and smeared on a good thick dose so as to prevent diaper rash and chafing; he tidied his hands up with a fresh baby wipe then fixed the diaper around her clean behind before fastening the snaps shut once more.

'There we are my love, bet that feels better doesn't it?' he asked her picked her up gently and holding her close while wandering around the room. 'I know you're probably still getting used to things outside of Mommy, especially that big brown fuzzy creature who was sniffing at your toes before, huh?'

'Look at you go, Detective, you'd never guess she's your first child.'

Esposito glanced up, saw Meredeth in the doorway with a mug of tea in her hand, which she set down on the dresser before going over to see her daughter and husband. 'Hi there. You ready for a snack?'

As Meredeth chattered at the infant, Esposito saw Tessi's little lips quirk into a tiny smile, dimples in her chipmunk cheeks deepening. 'Look at that smile, pretty girl. That's Mommy talkin' isn't it? I'm Daddy, and that's Mommy. We love her very much don't we? She's the prettiest, best mommy on the whole wide world.'

'I'm going to feed her, try to get her on a routine schedule as quickly as possible.' Meredeth nipped Tessi out of Esposito's strong, comforting hold and taking her to the armchair, tugged down the straps of her sleep-tank to once again unfasten her nursing bra and put Tessi to her breast. 'There we go, yum yum yum,' she cooed when Tessi latched.

'I'm glad I'm taking six weeks of leave,' Esposito told her, watching her nurse. 'I get it now, you know, for all the shit I gave Ryan and my brother in law, even Dave and Gil, I don't want to leave this room, I could happily spend the next week right here just watching my beautiful girls.'

'I know what you mean.' Meredeth tapped her fingertip to Tessi's forehead, then looked up to smile at her husband. 'When we first got home today, I was terrified I'd break her or something, and then I watched you pick her up and put her in her bed and felt like there was nothing I couldn't do.'

'I was scared I'd do the same thing too, that I'd do something wrong and mess her up, and then she sneezed on me and everything else was just noise.' Esposito moved closer, brushed his fingertips over Tessi's head. 'Drink up my love, get a nice full tummy.'

'Honey-Milk said that the one downside of breastfeeding is that because it's digested so quickly, it takes longer for them to sleep through the night but they also get a lot better nutrients than if you just give them formula.'

'Silly question but it's the same as when they get a bottle, isn't it? There isn't something that goes amiss if you have to give breast-milk from a bottle?'

Meredeth smiled. 'No. I thought of that too, but Honey-Milk and Robina reassured me that when you pump out and give breastmilk in a bottle it's just like getting it from mom. They said to think of it as Coke from a bottle versus Coke from a fountain. Still Coke but a different method of delivery.'

'Does that mean your nipples are like her straws?' Esposito asked dryly, and Meredeth had to keep from belly-laughing, lest she scare the baby.

'I love you, Javier Esposito.'

'Love you too, Meredeth Esposito.'

Once Tessi had finished, Meredeth propped her up on her knee to burp her, showing her husband how to do it this alternative way. He liked doing that part, she realized, because it was his way to bond with the baby's feeding since Meredeth wasn't pumping into bottles just yet. As she patted Tessi's back, Arturo wandered over, and snuffled at Tessi's feet, gave one a tender little lick.

'Yeah, you know who this is, don't you, boy?' Meredeth asked the dog like he was another human who could answer her back. 'This is your new mistress Tessi, and she's very little so we have to be gentle with her.'

Arturo's response was to give Tessi's knee another lick and Tessi simply yawned, smacked her gums a little before she burped.

'Guess we don't have to worry about the dog make her into a chew-toy.'

'Guess not,' Esposito echoed as Meredeth stood up, put Tessi back to bed in her crib.

'There we are princess. Your tummy's full, you've got a fresh dry diaper, you're tucked in on your back with no loose covers and best of all, you've not only got Crush here,' she said, tucking the stuffed turtle into beside the baby's left arm, 'but you get two kisses, one each from Mommy and Daddy.'

She laid her lips on her daughter's little cheek and Esposito followed suit when she'd straightened. With the lights turned out, they left the door open to the nursery as a precaution, and their own bedroom door as well. It felt strange because they always slept with it closed but then again, they had reason to leave it open now.

Tucking back into bed with her tea, Meredeth sipped quietly while Esposito reset the DVD player; he'd dug out _The Fellowship of the Ring_, which was better than a glass of warmed milk for putting Meredeth to sleep.

'So far, so good,' he commented lightly, knowing it would make Meredeth smile. 'You're really getting the hang of that breast-feeding thing.'

'I know, and you're rocking the diaper changes solo.'

'The stink is something I wasn't prepared for,' Esposito said, shaking his head as the film began to run softly. Glancing over, he made sure the baby monitor was on full battery and at max volume. 'By the way, I read we're supposed to be getting serious rainstorms starting on Wednesday so just as a word of warning we might lose power, so we need to make sure we have candles and flashlights and that.'

'Good to know. We won't starve though...' Meredeth trailed off, blinked. 'Who did groceries for us? I saw there's fresh milk and juice and bread and shit like that in the kitchen when we were making dinner.'

'Lili and Cam. They stocked up for us when they came to look after Artie.'

Through the monitor, they heard Tessi stir, murmuring in her baby way a little, then, adjust herself so she was sleeping again.

'You think maybe she's dreaming?'

'What would a baby dream about? She's gone from my uterus to the hospital room to home.'

'Could be she was also dreaming about a certain Irish fan of hers.'

Meredeth laughed. 'That's true as well.'

Esposito pulled his bride in for a kiss and winked at her. 'Or maybe she's dreaming about Mommy and Daddy giving her a sibling already.'

'Maybe.'

'I know we can't make love yet, and won't for at least another month, but seriously Mere, after seeing you give birth to our baby and watching you take your first steps in motherhood,' he murmured to her his mouth a whisper away from hers, 'I've never wanted you more.'

'And even though I know my hormones are still going helter-skelter, when I watch you with her, I want you just as badly as when we made our little miracle.' Meredeth leaned forward, pressing her lips against his. 'I love you, Javi.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	3. First Bath at Home

'Do you know what today is?'

'I certainly do.'

'Tell the nice people in camera-land.'

Meredeth laughed, scratched at her ear. 'I'm wearing my first pair of jeans since last week and amazingly, my belly has already started to shrink back to normal a little bit.'

'Okay, besides that, what day is it for our _preciosa_?'

'Our little Tessi-boo is one week old today, April seventeenth, and we are ready for our next big adventure at home aren't we?'

Esposito laughed as Meredeth undressed Tessi, tugging the undershirt over their daughter's fuzzy head and tidying up her bottom when she got rid of the diaper. He'd become glued to his video camera, finding it impossible to not get every waking moment of Tessi's life so far on tape. He was certain he'd taken a thousand pictures already on the digital still camera and yet it didn't seem like he'd even captured ten percent of all the activity going on. The first thing Esposito knew he would do when he left the house was head for the photo-lab to get them printed and copied so all his friends and family would have their own snapshot of the world's most wonderful little girl.

Setting down his camera, he went into the bathroom and retrieved the baby bath-tub, the table topper one hat Beckett had given as a shower gift; it was now filled with appropriately tepid water so as not to boil Tessi like a little cute lobster. He brought it back into the nursery and set it on the long counter-top, where Meredeth already had Tessi cradled in her arms so her legs dangled while her bottom was supported by her mommy's arm.

'Are you ready, Detective?'

'I think so.' Esposito dried his hands, picked the video camera back up to record this momentous event. 'Yep, we're good to go.'

'Okay.'  
Meredeth gently lowered Tessi into the tub and to her surprise, the infant didn't squall or fuss at all; instead Tessi wriggled and kicked her legs, gave a little gummy lip-pucker as she gurgled, making Meredeth's heart melt.

'It's Tessi's first bath at home, isn't it?' she cooed. 'yes, it's time to get my darling girl all cleaned up.'

Meredeth helped her sit up, careful to support her little bobbly-head, and put her in the tub so she was lying on her back, not at all surprised when she began to fuss as Meredeth took one of the Egyptian cotton baby cloths and dampened it with the baby soap, rubbed it over Tessi's belly. Her cries were not those of pain but of discomfort and confusion.

'I know, sweetcheeks, what is that? It's different, Mommy, it's different and weird and I don't know what to think?'

With careful moves, Meredeth scooped up water and let it flow through her fingers onto Tessi's skin. The infant's mewling subsided with each pass as Meredeth spoke to her. 'There we go, we get all that baby sweat off you, because if you're anything like Mommy, you sweat in your sleep.'

Esposito watched with the video camera, amazed at how well his wife was doing for someone so new. 'This is my princess' first bath-time with my queen.'

'Does that make Daddy the king? Yes it does.' Meredeth cooed at Tessi, who'd begun to even smile a little, though it was probably gas. Sure enough, she saw a little bubble appear in the tub. 'You learned that one from Daddy didn't you?'

'What?'

'She just farted under water and made a bubble.' Meredeth laughed as more bubbles appeared. 'There she goes again.

'Oh, God, this is so going in her wedding slide show.'

'And who's she gonna marry? Dell Ryan?'

'He thinks so. Ryan called last night, told me he was putting Dell to bed and the little guy had one hell of a pout-face on, so he asked him why he was so cranky, and Dell says to him, 'I wanna see my Tessi baby, Daddy, I didn't see her yes-ser-day at all.'

'Aw. He'll get to see her on your birthday, though.'

'Ryan pointed this out to him, and he said it was a mill-ee-on years away.' Esposito set the camera down on the shelf so it was still recording them. 'Can I try?'

'Of course. You can be Mister Shampoo.'

Esposito flipped open the bottle of baby-bubbles and following the directions, squeezed a few onto the washcloth and passed it over her small, fragile head so the hair there stuck up at right angles to her head. Tessi looked at him, then yawned as a burp escaped. 'That was a big one, wasn't it?' he said in a soft, high-pitched voice, pressing his finger tips to her tummy, then pulled them back when her face began to scrunch into the wind-up for crying. 'Oh, sunshine, don't do that. It's okay.'

'She says, Daddy, you've got cold hands! You need to warm them up! Here,' Meredeth told him, supporting Tessi with one hand and holding his under the water for a few minutes. 'Try that.'

This time when Esposito put his hands on his little girl's cute pink belly, she gurgled and kicked her legs. When she wrapped her hand around the tip of his index finger, his heart turned into a puddle. 'Yeah, you got me, don't you?'

'Okay, time to get out of the tub.' With the baby rinsed off, Meredeth plucked the newborn from the water, laid her on the towel-covered changetable and began to pat her down with one of the baby towels. She paused a moment. 'Javi, I need to pee something fierce, can you dress her in her jammies? The blue ones with the elephants.'

'I think we can handle that, can't we Tessi?' Esposito took one of the newborn diapers from the bin and remembering how the nurse had shown them how to do it at the hospital, fastened around his daughter's tiny froggy bottom; he was getting much better at them now, and had even survived a one-am diaper patrol when Meredeth had been sound asleep and it was his turn to change the baby. He helped tug on the plain white undershirt onsie, cooing and speaking to her so she'd get to know his voice as well as Meredeth's. Tessi loved her daddy and always felt safe and secure with him, but when she started to fuss, from time to time, especially when she was hungry, only Meredeth's melodious tones would calm his daughter.

'There, we can't have those elephants scratching up my girl can we? No we can't.' He shook his head in agreement with the statement as he unfastened the snaps of the painfully adorable snuggly with the elephants having a tea party on the chest and with as much care as a man handling a bomb Esposito dressed his daughter, then wrapped her in a dry blanket and took her over to the rocking chair where he held her against his shoulder and just rocked back and forth, back and forth until he felt her little jaw lower in the cutest yawn in the history of the world. She was so precious, a little bit of perfection. The best of himself, the very best of Meredeth from that steamy afternoon in Castle's Hampton boathouse. He looked down and studied her face. She had his cheeks for sure, and his hair but her eyes were deep dark blue and huge, framed by little lashes. She would be just as beautiful in twenty years as she was now.

For some reason completely unknown to him, Esposito thought of one of his favourite Beach Boys songs and began to sing it to her.

'Little surfer, little one, make my heart come all undone, do you love me, do you surfer girl, surfer girl, my little surfer girl.'

He glanced down and was surprised to see those big blue eyes of hers wide open and blinking at him. 'Huh. Go figure. I have watched you on the shore, standing by the ocean floor. Do you love me, do you surfer girl, surfer girl, my little surfer girl.'

Tessi gave a little gurgle and Esposito gently laid his lips on her brow. 'Yeah you do, and I love you.'

'Maybe I could send this is as your audition tape for _Amercian Idol_.'

Esposito glanced up, grinned when he saw Meredeth had come back and was recording the new father singing to his baby. 'Charming and boyish as I am, I'd rather just torture my child with my singing.'

'She doesn't think it's torture, look.' Meredeth set the camera down, saw Tessi pressing her hand against Esposito's collarbone. 'She can feel your heartbeat and she can probably feel the vibrations from your vocal cords by leaving her hand there.'

'Well right now, it's time for some daddy-daughter bonding.'

'Oh?'

'I know you were in the mood for fish and crispy potatoes so why don't you let me lay down with her while you make dinner.' He paused. 'That was supposed to sound a lot nicer than it did.'

Meredeth smiled, shook her head. 'I understand what you mean, Detective. Love you both, have a good sleep.'

When his wife had gone downstairs, calling the dog to come with her, Esposito went into the master bedroom where he'd set out his iPod with an audio-copy of _Storm Warning_. He popped in one earbud and stretching out on his back laid Tessi on his chest where soon enough she was sound asleep.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	4. First Visit From Momo

'Javi?'

'Yeah Mere.'

'Can you bring me some fresh panties please?'

Esposito looked over at the ensuite door and wondered why his wife would need fresh underwear when she was about to hop in the shower. But he knew it was easier to do first and ask questions later when she made odd requests like this. Opening her lingerie drawer, he found a cute pair of bright blue boy-cuts and knocked on the ensuite door.

She opened up, shook her head at his selection. 'No, an older pair, the kind I use on my lady days,' she told him, clutching the towel around her breasts.

'Why?'

'Because part of the post-birth phase for my body is akin to having my period so I need to wear a maxi-pad and I'm not ruining those fun panties with an avalanche of-'

'Okay, old granny-panties coming up. Can I leave them on the sink for you while you shower?' he asked, hearing Tessi stir from her nap in the nursery.

'Yeah. She's only been down for an hour, she'll need a diaper change but she shouldn't be hungry yet. If she is, there's a bottle of milk in the fridge downstairs.'

Meredeth heard her husband's 'okay' from inside the shower and she smiled as she washed her hair. Ten minutes later, fresh as a post-natal daisy, she tossed on her new mommy clothes - a comfortable lilac full-zip hoodie over a deep purple tank-top and comfy slurpie jeans - and poked her head in the nursery to find it empty. She headed downstairs, stopped short when she saw not only her husband, daughter and dog, but also her grandmother. Constance was seated in Meredeth's favourite armchair, holding Tessi on her knee while Arturosat beside the chair like an honour guard watching over his young mistress.'

'Momo!' Meredeth bounded over, kissed her grandmother's cheek. 'I thought you were flying back to Miami?'

'I am, just not yet. I couldn't leave the city without seeing my babies' baby. '

'I'll make tea,' she started, but Esposito reached up, grabbed her wrist to pull her down beside him on the couch. He left his hand around her waist, letting it rest on her hip.

'Water's on the stove, babe.'

'You're a good man, Javier.' Constance smiled, approving of the way the young man looked at her granddaughter just twelve days after giving birth. 'How is everything going so far? Is she starting to settle into a sleep pattern?'

'Starting to,' Meredeth replied, tucking her feet up under her bottom. 'She eats pretty regularly and fills up her diapers like a champ.'

'And you? How are you both feeling?'

'Tired but happy.' Esposito smiled at his girl when her eyes tracked over to find the source of his voice. 'Hi princess. Yeah, I'm glad I took the time off work. Being here with Meredeth and my baby girl is most important to me.'

'It's what I love about you becoming parents in the culture.' Constance shift so Tessi's back rested against her stomach and she wrapped her hand around her waist to keep her great-granddaughter steady. 'It's about equal partners raising a family together. I don't recall seeing your friend Honey-Milk, is that her name? Was she unable to make it to the hospital?'

Actually she was in the delivery room with us, since she's doing her obstetric nursing fellowship. And her real name is Jenny, it's her little boy that was so obsessed with Meredeth's belly,' Esposito explained, making Constance laugh.

The kettle whistled then, and Esposito kissed Meredeth's cheek before popping up to make tea. Tessi, too, must have sensed it was snack time, as she began to fuss.

'Oh, Tessi, it's okay, it's okay. Momo, do you mind-'

'Of course not, my dear. I nursed twins, for goodness sakes, you can't imagine what that's like,' Constance scoffed as she passed Tessi over to Meredeth, who unzipped her hoodie and slipped the edge of her top down so she could easily get to the release of her nursing bra to feed her baby. Once Tessi had latched on, Meredeth sighed, adjusted her hold.

'Look at you my dear. You look so much like your mother when she had you.'

Meredeth's eyes welled up a little. 'Oh, Momo, no crying right now. I've been trying hard not to dwell on it because the weeping makes my boobs leak.'

'Ah, yes, I've also been there.'

'Here we are.' Esposito returned with the tea tray, saw Meredeth feeding Tessi. 'Ah, tea time all around, I see.'

'I was just saying to Meredeth, if you think one is fun, twins is out of this world.' Constance took a cup, added sugar and lemon. 'Freja and Rikki, they were quite the hanful when they were first born.'

'Oh?' Intrigued, as Meredeth hadn't talked a lot about her mother during her pregnancy, Esposito picked up the coffee he'd brewed for himself and nodded at Constance in a keep-going motion. 'So there's a real possibility if we have another one, it could be another two?'

'Yes, my boy, there is. Maximillian himself was a twin, a fraternal twin mind you but twins are twins. He and his brother were very close, even after we moved here from Copenhagen. Calls every Sunday, letters twice a month. There's something special about the bond of twins.'

'Right now, I'm happy with just my little girl here.' Meredeth smiled as she popped her breast out of Tessi's mouth and switched her to the other side. 'Aren't I, my love?'

'Mere, you want tea?'

'Oh, thanks babe.'

Esposito nodded, dumped in the sugar and stirred in the hot red tea for her. 'What time is your flight out, Constance?'

'One but it's a domestic flight so there's no clearing customs, which takes out a huge portion of the travel waiting time. I just need standard clearance and I'm good to go.'

'Why didn't you come by earlier? We've been home

'I know, but I had a lovely time as Rosalita and Alejandro's guest, and I knew that you two would need the first weeks or so insulated from other people to get yourselves situated at home. There was quite a parade of guests when you were in the hospital, and that's a lot to handle when you've just pushed a baby into the world. Besides I wanted to give you this without anyone else around. I know I already gave you the baby gift but this was a little extra and I wanted this to be just us.'

Esposito took the envelope and when he opened it, he began to cough. 'Holy shit, Constance, I don't know what to say.'

'What is it?' Meredeth craned her neck to see what he held in his hand.

'It's a weekend at at the cabin. Our cabin, in one of the presidential suites.'

'Oh my god, Momo.'

'It's booked the weekend of your anniversary so you'll have somewhere to go in style,' Constance said with a smile. 'Meredeth told me the last time you tried to make plans to have a weekend there, they got cut short because of a murder investigation so I thought, what better gift to give you.'

'Thank you so much Constance.' Esposito stood up to hug his grandmother-in-law. 'This is truly wonderful.'

'I understand that cabin has a special meaning for you as well.'

'It's where we spent our six-month anniversary when we first started dating. It was supposed to be for Valentine's but again my job interferred a little.' Esposito glanced down at Tessi. 'Right now that's not a problem.'

They finished their tea-time so that by quarter to twelve, Constance was on the road for LaGuardia and Meredeth had finished feeding and burping Tessi, and rather than looking sleepy, she was wide-eyed awake and ready to play, it seemed. Deciding to go with it, Meredeth handed her off to Esposito momentarily to stretch out on her back so her head was pillowed on the arm of the super-comfy couch, feet flat on the cushions and knees raised up.

Seeing what she was doing, Esposito passed Tessi back and while Meredeth held the infant firmly in a sitting up position with her back against Meredeth's legs, he went for the digital still camera. He knew he was going to spend a small fortune on getting baby pictures printed but one look at that sweet angelic face and the glow of happiness on his wife's, not to mention the pride and love he felt whenever he held his child, and he knew he'd spend a king's ransom on photos if necessary for capturing those early moments.

'I want a bunch to show to everyone on Friday, even though they're going to see her here, and all. Castle and Ryan want me to stop in and have a quick coffee with them in the afternoon at the precinct and I promised I bring snaps.'

'Oh, that sounds great. It will give Tessi and I time to finish your birthday cake, won't it Tessi-boo?'

Tessi answered by not just giving them a little lip pucker but a full on smile; Esposito captured it with his camera and chuckled. 'One more photo for them to gush over, one more memory for us to treasure.'

'You sound like a Kodak commercial,' Meredeth laughed.

'Do you think I care about that?'

'Not at all.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	5. First Birthday Present I

On Friday morning, Esposito awoke to the feel of something moving on his chest, far too tiny to be the dog. Peeling open an eye he saw his daughter snuggled onto his chest, blinking her round blue eyes at him.

'Well good morning sweetcheeks, how'd you get out of your crib?' he laughed, lifting her above his head and making her smile her little lip-pucker smile before cuddling her close once again. Standing above him with the video camera was Meredeth, recording the exchange.

'Morning, Daddy! Happy birthday!'

Esposito laughed, put his hand on Tessi's back. 'Thank you princess. Did you help Mommy go shopping for a present?'

'I did, but I was still inside her when she bought it. But we had a little chat and she told me what she wanted to '

'Ah, she's a planner.' Esposito smiled. He was forty, a hard thing to believe since he didn't feel that old in his body or his mind. But rather than focusing on that number, as he'd confessed to Meredeth when he'd had to get his reading glasses, he was choosing to look at it as a first birthday of sorts - his first one as a parent. With a gentle but firm hand, he kept Tessi where she was as he sat himself up in bed. 'Did you happen to tell Mommy what kind of breakfast this birthday boy wants?'

'She whispered it in my ear you want chocolate chip waffles with strawberry syrup, fruit salad and orange juice with coffee, so we had breakfast early so Mommy could get a little jump in the kitchen.'

'Damn, you are good, Tessi-boo.'

Meredeth set aside the camera to give her husband a kiss, then noticing Tessi was starting to yawn a little, picked her up to take her to the nursery. 'I know you're ready for your morning nap, aren't you my love? Just as well, because the next little part is just for Mommy and Daddy only.'

Tessi barely peeped when Meredeth had her tucked in, and adjusted the baby monitor so they could hear her in the bedroom if she needed anything. Knowing the baby would be out for at least two hours after being up at six in the morning and fed at six thirty and staying awake until eight, Meredeth went back to her husband and closed the door behind her. She gave him the most seductive smile she could manage, crawled over to him where he still sat shirtless in the middle of the bed looking like something from a fantasy magazine. Here she was, two weeks after giving birth and she wanted to just use him for tonnes of fun that Tessi wouldn't learn about until she was much, _much_, older.

'We've got a little time,' she said in the low throat tone she knew Esposito loved. 'And I know we can't make love yet, but I thought about what you said, how there's other ways to be intimate with each other, so give me five minutes and we'll have a little...birthday fun.'

Esposito swallowed tightly at the idea of 'fun', as he had a good guess of just what she meant. He watched her walk to the ensuite and in anticipation of her, pulled out their toy box from under her side of the bed. The condoms wouldn't be of much interest to them, but those massage oils...He picked one up, studied the label. White chocolate. That was promising.

When the door to the ensuite opened, Esposito was flat on his back again, then popped up like a puppeteer had pulled a string to stare at his lushly-bodied wife and what she'd changed into. 'Wow. Happy birthday me.'

'You like?'

She was dressed in swishy amethyst-purple chiffon - his favourite colour on her - a loose-fitting peignoir that both hid her shrinking baby belly and accented her breasts; it was definitely no secret she was nursing her baby.

'You bet I like.'

'Good, because there's more.'

'More?'

Meredeth walked towards him, slid one strap down her shoulder like Gypsy Rose Lee. 'This is your present from me to you. Want to unwrap it?'

'Haaahhuhh.' It was somewhere between a laugh and a gasp that came out of Esposito's mouth but he didn't care. She came over, hands behind her back.

'Turn over.'

'You wear something like that, I'll commit murder for you.' He complied and stretched face-first onto his stomach, neck turned so he faced his bedside table. He felt the sprinkled drops of oil on his bare back and sighed lustily. Then he sniffed at the scent that rose from his body when she began to rub him down. 'That smells...is that birthday cake scented massage oil?'

'It's called sweet-cake, so kind of. I didn't like it when I first sniffed it but it grows on you.'

'I can feel something else growing.'

'I bet.' Meredeth kneaded her man's muscles rhythmically, wished she'd thought of a little music. Instead she leaned forward and whispered in his ear, 'It makes the next part so much better.'

Desire for his wife, his Danish angel, ran hot and liquid through him. He turned over, saw the look on her face and grinned lasciviously. 'You want to frost my birthday cake?'

'Dirty boy.'

Meredeth leaned in to kiss him, lust ripe and red in her veins and though she couldn't have him do much about it for her, for the moment even pleasuring him was enough satisfaction for her, since she'd considered that they'd made love up until nearly two weeks before Tessi was born and had honestly thought that he wouldn't want to be intimate with her in anyways so her body could restore itself. Yet he'd held her close and told her he'd never wanted her more and that in her mind, trumped everything.

And besides, it was his birthday. Every man wanted three things on his birthday and she'd start off with the best one on the list.

Stretching herself out beside him, nipping his lower lip with hers, she traced her fingers along the tops of his boxer shorts before slipping her hand beneath the poly-silk mix and finding him at full attention. She teased him, tormented him so that he went to iron under her hand, and was pleased when he shifted to shed them. Now she could run the pads of her fingers along the length of him, solid and beautiful, as his own hand closed over her chiffon-covered breast, moving his mouth froms hers to run down her neck.

'Mere,' he murmured in a husky whisper, 'use your mouth on me. I want those lips on me.'

'Whatever birthday boy wants, birthday boy gets.'

Though she knew it was what she would give him anyways, hearing his breathy demand for it made her feel like the most powerful woman on earth. Sliding down his body, Meredeth straddled his knees, trailing kisses down his chest, over his stomach, below his navel before she closed her mouth over him.

Esposito felt his eyes roll back in his head. It was like a lightening strike, what she did to his body. He had never known such love in his life, not until he'd met her. They'd been dating, engaged married and now were parents, and she still made his heart thunder like a freight train, the way she used that mouth on him. He felt her tongue slide out and lap at him and his body stiffed as he swore.

'Shit, Mere,' he groaned, twining his fingers through her hair as she worked him. He planted a foot on the bed, and felt her palm rest on the outside of his thigh. 'God, baby, just like that.'

Since all she could manage was an 'uh-huh', Esposito took it as a signal for him to thrust a little deeper, so he arched his hips off the bed, thrilled when she took him in so far. He felt the shift in his body, the dam of need for her threatening to burst.

'Mere, I'm...I'm...God!'

He ended on an oath as the orgasm exploded through him, reducing him to vowels as he cried out. He felt her coax everything out of him, take him in entirely as she continued to leave her mouth on him until he was completely spent. When he lay staring at the ceiling he felt the grin on his face.

'I love you Mere.'

'Love you too Javi.'

'I know, but right now, I _really_ love you.'

Meredeth chuckled as she slithered up his body to cuddle on his chest, not unlike their baby girl had. 'Happy birthday and that's just a start.'

'Nah, I think after that I'm good.'

'So I can skip out on the double chocolate pound cake I was going to make for your party tonight? And the presents?'

'Never.' Esposito turned, gave his wife a kiss. Her round face was split with her smug, satisfied smile, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. 'I told the guys I'd see them around one-ish, that good for you?'

'Yeah, Tessi and I will have plenty to work on when you're gone. Like making that double-chocolate pound cake.'

'One more time for the cheap seats, I love you.'

'Love you too.'

They were in the middle of their post birthday-blowjob kiss when they heard Tessi gurgling through her baby monitor. Meredeth couldn't help laughing against Esposito's lips.

'Our girl has perfect timing.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	6. First Birthday Present II

It felt a little weird to Esposito to be stepping off the eleavtor at work and not be there to power up his desk-top and to crack open the case file from where he'd left it the day before. Not like when he'd been shot, though, this had an entirely different flavour to it.

The smells and sounds were still the same, as were the sights - Castle parked in the chair beside Beckett's desk, Ryan on the phone with his stress egg, Newman trailing after Karpowski like a shadow in uniform. There was activity and noise, deals being cut, data scrolled and uncovered, and it was as much a home to him as the pretty townhouse he'd left that morning in Chelsea. Look around as he walked off the elevator, Esposito felt like a 'special guest star' on _Dallas, Lieutenant Eve, _the HBO crime-of-the-week sci-fi cop drama that Lanie and Alexis loved so much.

He rounded the mesh-wire walls and it was Castle who glanced up, his handsome face cracking into a grin. Rising from his chair, he greeted Esposito with open arms.

'There's the proud new papa,' he declared loudly enough for the room to stop and give a little round of applause, which had Esposito blushing a bit. To save him a little dignity, they moved their little party into the break-room where Esposito fired up Brewster while his friends looked on in anticipation. 'You brought photos?'

'Of course.'

Esposito reached in the small cloth bag, passed Castle the paper envelope; Beckett leaned in from his right to study the snapshots. 'There's my girls.'

'Oh, Javier, she's so precious!' Though she knew it was her place of business and she knew she'd take some teasing for it, Beckett couldn't help gushing over the cute baby. She took the shot of Meredeth on her bed, eyes closed with one hand flattened near her face and one fisted by her chest and saw that Tessi was sleeping the exact same way beside her mommy. 'This is too cute!'

'That was day six, Mommy and Tessi were having a nap together.'

'Meredeth wasn't worried about rolling over and crushing her?'

'No.' Esposito shook his head as the first two espressos finished dripping through and he added steamed milk. 'Tessi's on my side of the bed, so Meredeth's used to the weight there.'

'No snaps of your girl breastfeeding in here?' Castle asked, as Ryan wandered in having finished his phone call.

'Not in here. Those are for me only.'

Ryan cleared his throat, passed Beckett a small slip of paper. 'Nesbitt agreed to give us the client list first thing in the morning, as soon as he gets confirmation from the owner. Oh, sweet, Tessi-shots? Let's have a look.' He held out his hand and smiled when he got the first half Castle had already seen. Ryan snickered when he saw the shot of Esposito lying shirtless with the sleeping baby on his chest.

'You should submit this for your calendar shot next year,' he teased his partner, feeding the birds with Castle. 'Shirtless and holding a baby, the girls will swoon for you.'

'Speaking of swooning...' Esposito reached into the bag again, came up with a small reusable container labeled 'Ryan & Co.' 'What trip from me would be complete without cookies?'

Ryan's eyes popped round. 'Beer-nut sugar cookies?'

'You know it.'

Ryan ripped into the box of treats as he kept flipping through pictures. 'What's Meredeth up to while you're here with us?'

'Her and Tessi are working on birthday surprises, though this morning Meredeth and I had a nice little private moment for us.' When his friends made 'oohs' and 'aahs' at him, he laughed. 'Shut up, not that. Meredeth doesn't have the clearance yet.'

'Hey, can I keep this one?' Beckett held up the photo; it was one of Esposito's favourites. Meredeth had her cheek pressed against Tessi's and the baby was both looking at Esposito with the camera and giving her little lip-pucker that acted as her smile, an almost identical one to the smile Meredeth was wearing. 'It's so cute, and I need one for my gallery.'

'Gallery?'

'A certain someone has little snapshots of all our Twelfth Precinct babies. She needs Tessi for a complete set,' Castle explained, nudging his wife in the ribs when she smiled sheepishly.

'I like to keep my tots close.'

'You sound like my son,' Ryan mumbled around a mouthful of cookie, washed it down with his latte. 'He's very excited to come to the birthday party tonight.'

'He just wants to make time with my little girl.'

'And so it starts.' Castle snickered a little; he'd had a feeling that it would be a girl for the rough-and-tumble cop and he couldn't wait to see what kind of over-protective daddy he'd turn into after all the jabs he'd dished out to Castle. 'I bet you and Meredeth will have like four girls, and Dell will flirt with all of them.'

'I shudder at the idea of Dell flirting with the one I just got, considering it started in-utero.'

'Is he still calling Tessi his baby?' Beckett asked.

Esposito laughed as the conversation devolved amongst them as they continued to flip through pictures, thought of where they'd started out - Castle the annoying pest, Ryan the single guy on a quest for his one and only, Beckett the dedicated cop with a haunted soul who lived and breathed her work. Even himself, he'd been happy to cruise the streets, the perpetual single guy always up for flirting and buying a pretty thing drinks.

Then Ryan had gotten married and set off a chain of events and everything changed. Now they were all married, Beckett and Castle to each other no less, Ryan had a beautiful baby almost three and he was the proud papa of a new bundle of bouncy pink joy.

When he'd finished his coffee, Esposito rinsed out the cup and cleared his throat. 'As much fun as I'm having visiting, there is a party happening at my place tonight and I would like to get home to see my girls.'

'Oh, sure, man, we'll see you tonight.' Ryan waved his cookie in the air regally. 'Tell them we said hi and Dell is so excited he might throw up.'

'Isn't that like your third cookie?'

'Fourth.'

'Don't spoil your dinner,' Esposito told him with a wink. 'We're having barbecue tonight.'

* * *

'Hello? Anyone home?'

'We're in the kitchen, birthday boy!'

Esposito stripped off his jacket, went into the kitchen and grinned. Meredeth was putting the finishing touches on the cake, and Tessi was on the kitchen table in her carrier seat. Her little onsie read 'Mommy's Little Cupcake' and she gurgled happily when she saw her daddy walk in.

'There's my princess and my queen, are you helping Mommy, Tessi?' he grinned at his girl, sitting down in the kitchen chair in front of her after giving Meredeth a steamy kiss. 'You being the official icing sampler? Everything's ready for tonight, by the way. Cam said he'll be here around five to get the barbecue going so that when people arrive for six, food will be ready to go right away.'

'Sounds good. Tessi has been multitasking this afternoon.' Meredeth took the cake and set it on the island's high counter out of range of Arturo's nosy ways. 'She was helping me and found time to wrap your present, too.'

'Oh, well, then better go and open it.' Esposito scooped Tessi out of her carrier, Meredeth following them into the living room with the camera, where there were two gifts wrapped in black paper with green and yellow lightening bolts. 'Did you do this one?' he asked, with the card addressed to 'Daddy'. He found himself getting a little choked up as he balanced Tessi on his knee with one hand and picked up the card with the other. 'Thank you, my princess,' he murmured after reading the cute note with two birds on it, teasing him about a baby's first words. 'I'll treasure this forever.'

Meredeth sniffled, swiped at her eyes but continued to take pictures; her tears dried up when she saw him laugh about the gift she'd wrapped up from Tessi - a new Yankees baseball cap. 'You know your mommy loves daddy if you asked her to buy this for him,' he said, winking at Meredeth. 'What nwo, time for Mommy's present?'

Tessi responded with a squeaky little bark, and Meredeth realized she had the hiccups so they sped up the process of the next gift which was from Meredeth - a new pair of Ray-Ban sunglasses. He gave her a sweet kiss as he passed her the baby, kissing her cheek as well. 'You and me, Tessi-boo, we will be one stylin' pair at the park.'

'I was thinking you'd look even more bad-ass when you're back on the beat.' Meredeth flicked her eyebrows at him. 'You'll look mighty fine with one of your business-is-business suits and those mirrors. Makes me wanna take great big bites outta you.'

'Hear that Tessi?' Esposito leaned forward. 'Mommy's hungry for Daddy. That right there is going to give you a little brother or sister in about two or three years. OR it might just mean she's really hungry right now. Think we should have a snack with her?'

'That sounds like a great idea.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	7. First Birthday Party

'Hey Mere, where's the birthday boy?'

Meredeth opened the door to see Lanie and Dave and Carey on the doorstep, the mama of the clan with a present in one hand and balancing her ten month old on her hip with the other. 'Hey, come on in, he's in the kitchen with Cam and Richard, and Kate, Lili, and Rosie are playing in the living room with Tessi.'

'Oh yea.' Lanie saw her colleague walking towards the new arrivals and gave him one of her trademark sunny smiles. 'Happy birthday, Espo. Here you go, now where's that baby?'

'Of course. I'm turning forty and all my friends want to see my little girl,' Esposito laughed, wrapping his arm around Meredeth's waist as he accepted the parcel bag. 'Thanks.'

'You'll definitely get kick out of it,' Dave added, taking Carey from Lanie and setting him down on the step to take off his coat and shoes. 'It was my idea but she picked it out.'

'What about you, little bro, you help your mommy and daddy?' Esposito asked Carey, whose bi-coloured eyes shone brightly.

'Help.' He pointed pointed to himself. 'Me help.'

'Yes you did, Carey, you went with Daddy to pick it out.'

Carey reached for Lanie's hand and he grabbed hold of her index finger, started to walk towards the couch on the legs of a new walker. 'See Tizzy.'

Meredeth smiled as Carey all but dragged Lanie over to see her baby girl and she followed them while Esposito went back into the kitchen with Dave to find a drink and put the gift in the dining room, beside the cake that was well out of Arturo's reach. When Beckett saw her approaching, she scooted over and was smiling down at Tessi who was propped up in her infant's baby-cushion to help her sit up and support her head.

'Is that Mommy, Tessi?'

'Yeah, Mommy's here, isn't she my girl,' Meredeth cooed and everyone who was crowded around the baby sighed sweetly when she gave her little lip-pucker grin. Scooping Tessi up, Meredeth plunked her into her lap and supported her back while holding her from the front so she could see everyone. 'Who are all these people, huh? There's Auntie Katie and Auntie Lanie and _tia _Lili, and Rosie and Carey.' 'Tessi let out a sneeze, then looked around like someone was playing a prank on her. 'That was all you, Tessi.'

From the doorway of the kitchen, Esposito held his beer in his hand and watched his wife with their daughter, laughing as they giggled about Tessi's explosive sneezing. She was so beautiful, he thought, the way that smile just brought her to life. He'd stopped wondering after their first Christmas together, when he'd told her he loved her, how he'd gotten so lucky to find such a magnificent woman as her. And all that love for each other, the way they couldn't keep it to themselves, had made that little life cuddled on her knee, pure and unspoiled who needed him just as much, albeit in a very different way, as Meredeth did. He watched Meredeth tickle her tummy and heard the gurgly noise that passed for his daughter's laugh.

He couldn't have asked for a better birthday present than those two girls in his life.

The front door opened and Esposito's grin widened even farther as he saw Ryan, Honey-Milk and Dell come in, and Arturo trotted out from the kitchen to give welcoming kisses and licks, which made Dell laugh.

'Silly Artie, good boy,' he crooned at the dog when he patted the Great Dane-boxer's thick neck. 'Happy birth-day Javi!' he said loudly holding up the wrapped box. 'We bur-ought a pur-esant.'

'So I see.' Esposito scooped the boy up, held up his hands for the incongruous feed-the-birds handshake he often did with Ryan and Castle. 'Hope you're hungry, we've got lots of food and birthday cake that Auntie Merry made.'

'We havin' hot-dogs?'

'You betcha.'

'Veggie dogs?'

'Yeah, there's one of those for your daddy and Uncle Cam.'

'Yea.' Dell clapped his hands, then batted his big blue eyes at Esposito. 'May I puh-lease go see my Tessi?'

'You got it.' Esposito set him down, gave him an affectionate swat on the bottom to send Dell on his way; the toddler had spied an opening in the circle around the baby between Meredeth and Lanie, and sat himself down so his heels rested against his behind.

'Hi Tessi,' he murmured at her with a little wave. 'I am Dell Ryan, you remember me?'

'I'm sure she does,' Honey-Milk smiled, keeping an eye on Carey and Rosie playing with their blocks. 'Careful, Rosie, Carey's still very little.'

'Dell, you can play if you want,' Lili pointed out, gesturing to the other two his own age, but not surprisingly, Dell shook his head.

'I did-dun get to see my Tessi yes-er-day.' He reached out and gently tickled her feet, then clapped his hands to his mouth when she began to fuss. 'I sorry, I sorry, I hurt her?'

'Wass Tessi doin'?' Rosie asked, looking over. 'She go boom?'

'Tessi boom,' echoed Carey, who had also stopped playing when they heard the tiny girl crying.

Meredeth saw the stricken look on Dell's face and smiled warmly. 'It's okay Dell, you didn't hurt her. She's crying like that because she's hungry. She's very little and can only tell me what she wants by crying.'

'Oh. She suh-nacky? Time to eat?'

'Exactly.'

Meredeth passed Tessi to Beckett to stand up, then took her daughter back before she wandered into the kitchen to find her hubby there, talkin' hockey shop-talk with Dave. 'Hey birthday boy, I've got a little one here who needs to eat early. I'm going to head up to the nursery to feed her so just holler when the burgers are ready, okay?'

'Okay. Take your water-bottle with you,' he added, loving the way she rolled her eyes at him before she went to the fridge and picked it up. 'Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Esposito watched her walk out, then tuned back into his conversation with Dave and Ryan. Or at least, that had been his intention but from the way Ryan was grinning at him, it was clear there was something else on his mind. 'Something to share with the class?'

'Just proud of you, man. There's nothing like those first weeks home with your baby. Fatherhood looks good on you.'

'Thanks man.'

Dave clinked his beer bottle against Esposito's, combed his long fingers through his waving mane of raven-black hair. 'How are you handling her hormones so far?'

'So far, she's been okay. A little cranky from lack of sleep and teary every now and then, but nothing pointing to post-partum. Mostly, she just wants to be a good mother and you know what Meredeth's like when she takes something to heart.'

'Uh-huh, and uh, you're handling everything okay?' Dave asked, tugging on his earlobe. 'Meredeth wise?'

'Yeah, I'm not worried about her getting depressed or anything, but if you've got any new-dad tips, send'em this way for sure.'

'There is one, and I know this will sound ridiculous, but don't specify things about her body that you like, even if you do. It's a sure-fire way for your girl to think that you are just patronizing her and making her feel worse.'

Esposito leaned his hip against the counter. 'Really.'

'Yeah. Especially her boobs. Lanie's were just gorgeous but she was feeling less like a sexy mama and more like a milking cow when she was still breastfeeding for the first month.' Dave smiled. 'The best way to say it is that she looks good all over.'

'And never ever tell her how can't wait until she's back to her post-baby body,' Ryan added. 'That's just asking for it.'

The sliding door moved and Cam walked in with a plate of turkey and beef burgers, veggie dogs and regular hot-dogs; some were smothered in cheddar cheese, others were plain. Behind him, Castle walked in with the plate of toasted buns.

'Soup's on!' Cam bellowed in his best army voice. 'Come and get it!'

When they'd all scarfed down barbecue, along with potato salad, Cesar salad, and sweet potato fries with roasted garlic mayo, Esposito found himself seated at the head of the kitchen table with his daughter cuddled against his chest in her adorable frilly pink dress and little white stockings - Meredeth had been responsible for the costume change when Tessi had awoken after her dinner-time nap. Everyone was crowded in the kitchen with Dell, Rosie and Carey all at the remaining three chairs.

Someone dimmed the lights and as they sang 'Happy Birthday', Meredeth appeared with a cake that made Esposito's chocoholic heart leap for joy - dark chocolate pound cake with mocha buttercream icing and white chocolate spelling out 'Happy Birthday Javier' beneath a crest of four candles. She smiled at him as she brought it over to the table then crouched in so they made a sandwich around Tessi.

'You gonna help me with my candles, princess?' Esposito asked his daughter, and turned her around, leaned her forward a little so that when Ryan snapped the photo on his partner's camera, it looked like little Tessi and her daddy were blowing them out together.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	8. First Freakout

Esposito awoke on Sunday morning to the sound of muffled sniffling. Confused, he peeled open a wary eye and saw Meredeth beside him in bed, body towards him but her face buried in the pillow; her shoulders shook as she sobbed like it was the end of the world.

'Mere?'

'I can't stop.'

'What?'

'I can't stop crying, I don't know why I'm crying and it's scaring me.'

Moving closer to her, Esposito saw when she lifted her head her eyes were puffy from weeping. 'Did something happen? Did you get a call from your grandmother or Terrance?'

'No, everything was fine, I fed Tessi, changed her diaper and she went down for her after-breakfast nap and I came back in here to snuggle in beside you and I all of a sudden started up like this-' she gestured to her eyes '-and I can't stop.'

'Do you think it's post-partum depression?'

'No.' Meredeth shook her head vehemently. 'I've done the reading and the research, talked to Harvey and my shrink, they said I was an unlikely candidate for PPD. But...but...'

She trailed off, dissolving again, and while she pressed her forehead to Esposito's naked shoulder he held her close, stroked her back. For the first time in their relationship, he had no idea what to do for her. Meredeth was always one with a sound, almost Vulcan-like logical reason as to what was making her cry and would tell him so through her tears. To see her so helpless and lost in the sea of her own emotions had him foundering.

'Well, at a guess I'd say you're probably over-tired and worried about being a good mother, which you are. Oh, baby. Mere.' Esposito took his wife in his arms and held her close while she cried.

'I just...I don't know what I...I feel so...'

'It's early but if you want, I can see if Honey-Milk is up, or Lanie.'

Meredeth nodded slowly. 'Honey-Milk. Lanie's gone with Carey to Anaheim to visit her dad.'

'Okay.' Esposito kissed her, slipped out of bed with the handset for the houseline. He closed the bedroom door most of the way as he dialed Honey-Milk's cell; on the fifth ring Honey-Milk's voice came on the line, tired and concerned.

'Javier? What's going on?'

'Meredeth won't stop crying.' Esposito dragged a hand over his face and he leaned on the rail of the upstairs hallway. 'I have no idea what to do for her, I've never seen her like this in my life.'

'Okay, I'll be there in fifteen.'

Esposito hung up, went to let Meredeth know that her friend was on her way. As the storm of tears hadn't stopped, the only thing he could think of to ask her was if she wanted some tea. At her nod, he dragged on a t-shirt, then took the baby monitor with him downstairs and sat at the kitchen table, forehead on his forearms while the kettle boiled. He was freaking out; it was his promise to Mere, to dry her tears if she was sad. That part wasn't so bad, because even when she was a fountain of weeping, he could anticipate what to do based on her reason for crying. But when she didn't even have that, Esposito was lost.

He'd just poured water into the pot when there was the knock on the door, and Arturo had scrambled up from his spot in front of the couch to see who was invading so early. Esposito went to the door and breathed a small sigh of relief.

'Hey, thanks for coming so quickly.'

'Not a problem.' Honey-Milk toed off her shoes, stripped off her rain-splattered jacket. She was in her post-shift soft clothes and it made the string of Esposito's conscience thrum guiltily. 'So she can't stop crying?'

'Yeah, it was my turn to sleep in while she changed the baby, we alternate it in the mornings,' he explained, 'so I was asleep and when I woke up, she was crying and she said she can't stop.'

'Okay. She's upstairs?'

Esposito nodded, followed her up. He watched her shove the door open gently and her head tilted in that inexplicable way all women had when they saw one of their girls down for the count.

'Hey, Mere, it's Jenny,' she murmured softly.

Meredeth, whose heart was so turned around and confused at the inability to stop her tears, sat up, drew her knees to her chest. 'It won't stop,' she said pitifully.

'I heard.' Honey-Milk went over, sat on Esposito's side of the bed cross-legged. 'Walk me through what happened this morning.'

'I woke up when I heard Tessi through the monitor, and it was my turn to change her, and she was also hungry, so I fed her and tucked her in for her post-feed nap and said 'sleep well my angel' and then I came back in to bed, and it started up and I've been crying for the last hour and a half, and...and..it won't stop.'

'Okay.'

'I made you some tea, Mere,' Esposito added in a voice he thought rather lame. 'You want a cup?'

'Sure.'

When Esposito had gone, Honey-Milk turned to her friend and said, 'Mere it's perfectly natural to get the baby blues, but I don't think that's what this is. You haven't been feeling like you want to harm the baby or that you can't take care of her, or anxious or losing sleep over those feeling have you?'

'No.'

'No sudden mood swings?'

'No different than when I was pregnant.'

'Okay, so more than likely it's not early signs of PPD. No. I've handle enough new mothers in my career to recognize the warning signs and you're not exhibiting any of them, or the baby blues even. Sure you're going to get weepy or snappy, but that's the hormones trying to right themselves again. It when it gets really severe that you need to tell your doctor, though I think tell Harvey just as a precaution would help.'

Esposito returned then, two cups of tea in his hands which he set on Meredeth's bedside table. 'Mere, I had a thought when I was in the kitchen.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah.' He sat down on the bed so he faced her, rubbed her knee in support. 'Your mom's birthday was on the fourteenth, is it possible you're just missing her?'

_Jackpot_, Honey-Milk thought as she watched the light of understanding in Meredeth's eyes brighten them, making her tears stop momentarily and she let out a little laugh before they started up again.

'Oh, God, I'm such an idiot. 'Sleep well my angel'. That's what my mother used to say to me when she'd tuck me in at night. Even when she was in the Middle East and she'd call home for a check-in, she'd say that to me. Javi.' Meredeth shifted, wrapped her arms around her husband and pressed her face against his shoulder. 'Why didn't I think of that?'

'It's okay, my love. We do things like that sometimes that we don't even think twice about.' Relief was a tsunami inside his chest as Meredeth held him tight, and Esposito wrapped his arms around her too. 'And I don't suppose it occurred to you, at least consciously, that the first whole day we had Tessi home was the fourteenth?'

'It did, and I wanted to talk to her, show her what I made like I was six years old and brought home a macaroni picture frame from school or something.' Meredeth shuddered in a steadying breath, and leaning back, let her husband wipe away her tears. 'I miss her.'

'I know you do my love. I'm sure she's watching you with pride wherever she is right now.' Esposito kissed her brow as her trembling subsided. 'Feel better now?'

'Uh-huh. Jenny, I know you're just getting off the night-shift, you want to stay for breakfast?'

'Enticing as that is, I have a Dell-free morning on my hubby's day off.' Honey-Milk wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, making them both laugh. 'But thanks for the invite. I'll talk to you guys soon, okay?'

She let herself out, and Meredeth laid her temple on Esposito's shoulder. 'You did good, Javi.'

'I feel like a chump, not knowing what to do for you and letting her handle it.'

'No. You promised to dry my tears when I'm said, and you knew that talking to a trusted friend like that who's also a mother would help. And you hit the nail on the head about my mom. You did what you promised me you would.'

Now it was Esposito's turn to shudder out a breath. 'If you say so, Mere, I believe you.'

'I love you so much, Javi.'

'I love you too Mere.'

Esposito heard Tessi stirring through the baby monitor and smiled. 'Someone wants to make sure Mommy's alright, too. You want her to come in here?'

'Yeah.'

When her husband left to pick up the baby from her crib, Meredeth looked over to her vanity, where a picture of her and her mother from Meredeth's last birthday with her sat. 'I'm alright,' she murmured, then smiled widely, held out her arms for her baby when Esposito came in with Tessi in his arms.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	9. First Daddy & Daughter Snack

'Who's Mommy's girl? You are.'

'Look at her go, what a cutie.'

'She's a real water baby, aren't you Tessi-boo?'

Meredeth giggled as Tessi blinked at her, then smiled a little as bubbles appeared in the bath-tub. At almost three-weeks, she was a charmer and currently very pink and wet as she finished her bath. Tessi had gotten used to the soaping up and rinsing down, though shampoo was still a dicey affair. The stump of the cord was still there, albeit shriveled up and ready to fall off at any moment. She grinned, elbows resting on the counter while Esposito bathed her, scooping water up in one hand while the other held Tessi steady on her tummy so that when Tessi farted, she looked like she was jet-propelled underwater.

'She says, Mommy, we had a lot to eat tonight for supper, I was a real little oinker.'

Esposito laughed, as he finished rinsing off his daughter's body with the lukewarm water, who gave him a little lip pucker. 'Aw, my little princess, that's a guilty little smile.'

'She says, Daddy, I was really hungry.'

'Okay, my water baby, time for jammies.' He lifted her out of her tub, laid her gently on the table-top, patting her down with her towel. He was rubbing her down carefully when all of a sudden, the cord fell off her belly. 'Oooooo-kay. That's a new trick.'

Meredeth looked at where the bit of skin fell off of her little girl, tilted her head to the side. 'What do we do with it?'

'Do we save it, 'cause that seems kinda creepy.'

'No, I think we can just do this.' Meredeth picked it up with pinky and forefinger, and deposited it into the diaper genie, then took a sterile baby wipe and passed it over her daughter's stomach to gently cleanse the newly-exposed belly-button. 'You've got an innie, Tessi.'

Tessi looked confused for a minute, then jutted out her lower lip and began to cry. The tremulous sound of it was one of fatigue and confusion, so Esposito stepped up his pace to get her nappie fixed on, then her pyjamas; he picked her up and tried to get her to settle against his shoulder, but it was a no-go. The infant's face was turning bright red and Meredeth could swear she saw a little tear escape the corner of Tessi's right eye.

'Oh princess, it's okay, it's okay, I know that was weird all around wasn't it?' she crooned and Esposito sighed in relief as the baby's mewling softened against his shoulder at hearing her mother's voice. 'Daddy's got you, not to worry.'

'Yeah, I do, don't I my love?'

Thew parents continued to make kissy-cooing noises at their tiny one until Esposito felt Tessi lower her jaw in a yawn, and he walked over to her crib to tuck her in with a good-night kiss. 'See you in a few hours.'

'Mommy and Daddy love you, Tessi,' Meredeth added, getting in her own kiss.

Because Tessi's sleep was now becoming a lot more consistent with the routine of her feedings, they took the baby monitor downstairs with them, where they had a freshly baked ziti waiting for them in the oven; parents needed to eat too, especially Meredeth since her metabolism was boosted once again from breastfeeding and she needed to keep her diet consistent the same what she had when she was pregnant.

'Does it feel weird?'

'What?'

'Not getting up and going to work right now?' Meredeth asked, shaking fresh parmigiana over her serving of pasta. 'You're used to being out there with the action and everything, and here it's all burping and diapers and goo-goo noises.'

'Yes and no, I mean on the one hand, I'm used to waking up at all hours if I get a call, and I'm still waking up at all hours, only getting a call of a different kind. But then, I feel like if I was back at work so quickly, it'd feel a lot like I'm dumping one hundred percent of the parenting on you and I really want to bond with my little girl.' Esposito paused, stabbed a forkful of noodles and cheese. 'That sounded really corny didn't it?'

'Perhaps, but it's also honest, so you can't ask for better than that.'

'How are you feeling since you had your little meltdown about your mom?' he asked, still a little in after-shock of seeing Meredeth broken down and so disheartened.

'Good, fine. I had a dream about her.'

'Oh?'

Meredeth nodded. 'Last night. I dreamed she was in the nursery and telling me that's not how to do it, whatever 'it' happened to be, and I told her off, saying that I was new and learning how to be a good mother, and she just smiled at me and said 'Good answer', and then I woke up.'

'See?' Esposito smiled around the food in his mouth. 'You're kicking it and you've still got your mom looking out for you.'

'It's the first time I've dreamed about her since having Tessi, and when I woke up, it was like...' Meredeth blew out a relieved breath. 'I feel just this relief like if I don't get the hang of something right away, it's not the end of the world, you know?'

'Because it's not. Parenting is a learning curve, especially at this point and it's easy to feel overwhelmed. I mean, look at me. You've already gotten to know Tessi for none months, I'm really meeting her and making that connection with her for the first time, it'd be very easy for me to pout when she stops crying at your voice while I'm holding her.'

'I know.' She covered his hand. 'But you're being an amazing dad. Beckett was telling me about when you brought in the pictures of Tessi to the precinct and you just could stop being all new-daddy proud.'

Esposito blushed a little, scraped the last of his dinner off his plate. 'I love my girls,' he said simply.

'And we love you too, which is why I made us a little treat while Tessi was napping this afternoon.'

'Oh?'

'Mm-hmm.'

'Is it Heart of Chelios?'

'No,' she giggled. 'That's only for the really x-rated sex.'

'I know, I remember a particular night involving that cake, some scarves and my handcuffs,' he murmured with a glint in his eye that had Meredeth's body humming. 'What else might it be?'

'I made us some cheesecake.'

Esposito's eyes went round. Meredeth loved to bake but her nemesis was cheesecake. 'What kind?'

'Raspberry lemon.'

He looked around the table. 'Let me just clear these dishes up then.'

* * *

That night, after cheesecake and some very teenage-kissing on the couch, they'd tucked into bed with a DVD on the portable player knowing that Tessi would be awake in an hour-ish, wanting her midnight snack. Esposito lay there with his arms around his Meredeth, his mind on what he'd said at the dinner table. He loved his daughter and his wife beyond rational reason, but he wanted to forge a truly strong bond with his girl so for tonight, he had a plan.

Sure enough, punctual as a German train, Tessi's hunger stirrings sounded through the monitor and when Meredeth went to get up, Esposito patted her shoulder. 'You expressed some milk today, didn't you?'

'Uh-huh.'

'Let me feed her, I haven't gotten to and I really want to.'

Meredeth studied the earnestness in his face and nodded. 'Okay. I'm going to get my pump so that I can make up a couple of bottles for her, okay? There's one already in the fridge for you to warm.'

'Yea.' Esposito kissed her sweetly, then scampered out of bed to fetch his daughter. He smiled when her noises subsided as he cooed at her. 'Hey there hungry girl, you got the munchies, don't you? Yeah, let's see what we can do about that.'

He fixed her to his chest with the sling and they went downstairs together, where he found a small bottle in the fridge and remembering what he'd had to do for Dell, he floated it in some hot water so as not to risk scalding the milk itself but rather warm it gently. When it was ready to go, he tested it on his wrist and licked it off without a second thought before he went over to the couch. Turning on the television to AMC and putting the volume at half-mute, Esposito popped the nipple of the bottle into his daughter's mouth and she began to suck it down without a second thought.

'There we are my princess, eat up, Daddy wants you to get big and strong,' he crooned, loving the way that Tessi's big eyes stayed open at this new arrangement of snack-time. Sure enough, she fussed a little bit around the rubber tip of the bottle, but when he continued to chat to her, and she could feel the vibrations of his heartbeat as she ate, she settled into his arms and closed her eyes, resting one tiny pink hand over his, much in the same way she put her hand to Meredeth's breast.

When Meredeth came downstairs, it was with a camera in her hand and she quietly snapped a few pictures of daddy and daughter having a little midnight bonding session of their very own.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	10. First Touch

Esposito had the night planned down to a science. Tessi had been fed and played with; she'd smiled and cooed and sneezed and farted her little heart out until she'd started to yawn and they'd put her to bed around eight. She was starting to sleep longer periods between feedings so she was down at eight and up at midnight now. That meant he had plenty of time for his Meredeth. She'd been so sweet and tender romancing him on the morning of his birthday and while it had taken him a little time to come up with a suitable return of such physical love for her but he was pretty sure he'd found it.

He left the nursery, as Meredeth had gone to pee, rooted around in their toy box until he found was he was looking for. He smiled, then quickly pocketed his find when she came in the room.

'So now that baby's sleeping, the dog is downstairs, this means you and I can have some grown-up time together.'

'Oh?' Meredeth wrapped her arms around him, pulled him back in for another kiss. 'Just what do you have up your sleeve?'

'To start, a nice hot bath for you. You work hard looking after our girl and you're a kick-ass mother, Meredeth. But tonight is for being a sexy mama. So I was thinking, why don't you pamper yourself with a nice bath while I set a little mood in here?'

'Okay.'

'Your bubbles are all on the tub and I'll bring you your kimono and your towel in a little bit. Oh and make sure your hair stays dry.'

Meredeth arched her eyebrow at him, but she knew her hubby well and knew when he wanted to give her a romantic night, it was best to follow his instructions. She went into the guest bath, where there was the old-fashioned claw-foot tub waiting for her, and on the shelf beside the faucets were her cucumber bath products. A twist of the knob and hot water gushed into the cast-iron, along with fragrant foam once she poured in the bubbles. Groaning softly, she undressed and slipped under the water, the steam rising in puffs.

As she mused about just what Esposito had in mind for them to do, since they really couldn't have sex for at least another month, Meredeth looked around and laughed as she remembered the story Lanie had told her over a year before when she'd begged to learn about how she and Dave had conceived Carey: they'd volunteered to house-sit for them while Meredeth and Esposito had gone to New Zealand for their honeymoon and look after Arturo while his masters were gone. They'd decided to have a nice romantic night together, wine and candles and music the works, and had been so hot for each other they'd started the party early that night by making love in that big cast-iron tub as a prelude to what Lanie had described as a night worthy of two-am Bravo. So that meant both the boy babies in their little tribe had been conceived in bathrooms.

She flicked her eyes up when Esposito came in, saw her soaking amongst the bubbles. 'You almost done so we can get started?' he asked with a devilish grin.

'Yeah.' Meredeth leaned forward to pull the tub-stopper out by its chain, but when she stood up and reached for her towel he held it out of reach. 'May I?' he asked, holding his hand out to help her step from the slippery tub.

'Sure.'

Esposito smiled; he always liked the little show she put on when she was drying off in front of him but tonight it was his turn to turn her on. He stretched the length of banana yellow terry cloth out at arms length and with swift yet seductive strokes rubbed the fabric over her body. He ran it over her shoulders first, then her breasts and torso, down over her hips and her ass, down her legs to her feet. He heard the little hitches of her breath, so when he rose, he was smiling as he put her robe on around her. 'I have a little treat for us.'

'I can tell, and I'm very curious about what it might be,' she replied as he tugged her by the hand across to their bedroom, where he quietly shut the door. Meredeth looked around and saw he'd put candles out on their side-by-side dressers and her vanity table, all scented with coconut. That was their signature sexy fragrance, right from the first time he'd gotten a massage from her.

'Here, put these on.' Esposito tossed her a pair of black silky-cotton panties. 'Can't risk any infections.'

'Nope.' Meredeth unbelted her kimino, slipped the bikini-cut underwear on, but when she went to look at herself in the full-length mirror, Esposito grabbed her wrist and shook her head.

'You are beautiful, Mere, and never forget it. You've become such a good mother to Tessi and you still find the energy to make sure I'm taken care of too,' he smiled at her, pulling her close to add in a whisper, 'like giving me that bj on my birthday.'

'Well, it was your birthday and since we couldn't have proper birthday sex, I figured that would be a good alternative.'

'It was amazing. And now it's my turn to return the loving to you.' Esposito tugged his shirt over his head, shoved his pants over his hips so he was in his boxers. He kissed her, deeply and erotically, the same way they'd kissed the afternoon they'd made Tessi. Her skin was soft and silky smooth under his touch, so with gentle pressure, he tumbled her backwards onto the bed, pressing his body into hers to feel more of that sweet, creamy covering on his Meredeth. He knew her breasts were still sensitive around her nipples from breastfeeding so rather than try to get her in the mood that way, he gently cupped them from underneath with soft pressure.

'I, ah, just want to make sure that I don't get a free glass of milk,' he joked. 'Right now that is a Tessi-only zone.'

Hearing her low sexy laugh, Esposito dipped into his pockets and pulled out the little jars of edible massage oil he'd pulled from the toy-box. He'd opted for the fruity ones - no coconut, as he wanted to save the coconut for when they got the all clear to resume their usual fireworks. 'Tonight, it's all about making you feel good like you make me feel. So I am going to give you a little taste of what you gave me.'

'Okay.'

Esposito opened the jar of raspberry first, dampened the tip of his finger with the oil and stroked a T-shape on the underside of her jaw and down her neck. He kept his movement torturously slow so that when he lowered his mouth to trace his lips over the skin he'd just touched, Meredeth swallowed tightly and she felt the blood rush in her veins. Even with her post-baby body still fighting its way back into shape, he still wanted her which had been the lynch-pin for Meredeth to truly believe he wanted her always.

He tasted her and treasured her, dabbing different flavours in different spots - orange on her stomach, lemon on the curves of her breasts, more raspberry on her neck and jaw, and even her shoulders, but the crowning touch had been when he'd taken the lime one and just like they had with their chocolate sauce, Esposito traced a single line of the sweet oil up her thigh and rather than kissing it away, he ran his tongue over the creamy length of her leg. She still had some bruising from the birth, but they only served as reminders to him how truly strong his wife was. He heard her satisfied groan and repeated the process on the other side, then deciding to take a change, slid his hands under the fabric of her panties to clasp his hands over her ass, keeping her steady as he used his tongue on her skin.

'Javi,' she sighed, 'that feels so good, baby.'

'Yeah?'

'Mm-hmm, keep going.'

So he did and when he felt her hips begin to rock and grind, he decided to take a chance even more and pressed his body against hers, so their mouths joined once again and he rubbed himself against her, both of them still in their underwear like teenagers; he knew he was hard for her and feeling her, even the cotton covered her, sliding against him was enough to make him want her. She held him close, her fingers digging into his shoulders as his mouth covered hers, heat rising from their bodies as it always did whenever they came together like this. He watched as she continued to move against him, hesitantly then sighing let it go, the orgasm popping through her but as it did so, she got a look of panic rather than pleasure on her face.

'Baby, what is it?' he asked, then felt the warm fluid against his chest as he realized her breasts had begun to leak a little bit.

'I'm...leaking,' she confirmed in a small, embarrassed voice. 'My breasts let a little milk out because I had an orgasm. The same hormone that releases milk when I'm nursing Tessi also comes out when you have an orgasm.'

'Oh, okay.' Esposito popped up, grabbed a clean white cloth and patted her dry before he wiped himself down. 'There,' he said when finished. 'No harm done.'

Meredeth smiled up at him. 'I love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	11. First Check Up

'What's today?' Meredeth smiled at her little girl, as she tugged the soft cotton over her arms. 'Today is Mommy and Tessi's check-in with the doctors isn't it?'

'And Tessi's first out of the house trip,' Esposito added, double checking they had everything ready to go in the diaper bag. It had been a gift from Robina and Gil, so that it looked less like a baby bag and more like an over-the-shoulder tote, as they knew it wouldn't just be Meredeth who would be showing off Tessi. 'Okay, we've got fresh nappies, wipes, Vaseline, extra clothes, blanket, onsie, and...anything else we need to add?'

'Not that I can think of. Eh, Daddy, nothing else we can think of, is there?' Meredeth asked her little girl as she helped her sit up, then put her into the car seat. 'Okay, big girl, time to go.'

They'd opted to take the car, as it would make things easier since the weather was still so crappy, so they bundled into the Nissan to head up to the Saint Vincent clinic where Harvey was conducting his appointments and he would introduce them to their pediatrician who would do a small check-up on Tessi. Once admitted to their room by the desk nurse, Meredeth had no sooner passed the baby to her husband and changed into her examination gown than Harvey and Doctor Fiona Cook walked into the room; Harvey was once again in his suit under his white coat.

'Hello Esposito family, my goodness, this little one's getting big isn't she?' Harvey said jovially when he saw the baby being steadied on Esposito's knee. Tessi responded with a blink and a sneeze, making everyone laugh. 'I don't want you to feel like you're getting the bum's rush today Meredeth, but your exam is going to be quick and clean as I've got a young woman who is being prepared for a C-section upstairs and she and her husband are very anxious so I-'

'Oh, Harvey, we understand, believe me.' Meredeth waved off his apology as she stretched out on her back so Harvey could do the nasty part of the physical first. 'Esposito's sister had an emergency C-section when she had Rosie remember?'

'Ah, yes, forgive my shoddy memory on that one, I've had a rather stressful time with this new set of parents upstairs. Neither of them anticipated needing this, and they were very stubborn about their birthing plan.' Harvey tugged on the gloves, and poked and prodded at Meredeth, nodding briskly. 'You, my dear, are healing very well. Your bleeding has stopped?'

'Mostly, it's very light, like when I'm on the last days of my period.'

'Good, that means that the open wound from the after-birth is almost healed. And how are you feeling emotionally? Any depression, anxiety, mood swings?'

'I've had a couple of moments here and there,' Meredeth said honestly, explaining what happened with talking about her mother, and Harvey nodded sagely.

'Those kinds of moments are hard, believe me, but since the little spell lasted less than two hours, I'm not concerned, that's just your own hormones and your emotions trying to sort themselves out.'

Esposito bobbed his head in agreement. 'That's what Jenny said, too. Back to the healing thing,' he said, feeling a little squirmy. 'You said she's healing well, so does that mean we can...you know, be intimate soon?'

'I'm still going to say around Memorial Day weekend would be the soonest for you to resume your bedroom activities. I don't like to do anything bare-bones, and I know you two obviously want to keep your own relationship strong while developing your family relationship with Tessi, but the waiting is part of that relationship because recovery from an infection means even longer a wait.' Harvey couldn't help but grin. 'And knowing what I do about your history together, I'm sure there are other non-invasive ways you've already discovered to be romantic.'

'Well, there was one night with some-'

'Javi!' Meredeth hissed, blushing red as the sweater she'd folded up on the foot of the bed. 'He's seen me give birth, he doesn't need to know how we practiced getting pregnant, okay?'

Esposito winked, then murmured at the baby about keeping secrets, while Harvey wrapped the blood-pressure cuff around his patient's bicep. 'Okay, Meredeth, let's have a listen to everything else.'

Meredeth's check-up continued to be right on target for a woman not quite a month past giving birth; when she'd redressed, Harvey wrote out a refill prescription for her to continue the vitamins she was taking while breastfeeding. His timing was excellent as he'd just handed the paper to Meredeth when his pager went off and he had to leave for the emergency C-section upstairs.

'Well, now that Mommy's all taken care of, let's have a look at Tessi,' Cook said brightly, as Esposito brought Tessi over to the examination bed and carefully laid her down. The little girl kept a tight grip on the tip of her daddy's finger, just to make sure he wasn't going anywhere.

'Tessi, this is your doctor, this is Doctor Cook and she's going to check-up on you to make sure that you aren't getting sick on us,' he explained. 'Make sure all those milkshakes you're drinking are giving you what you need.'

Cook took out her pen-light, shined it in Tessi's eyes, then used the smallest instrument for checking in her ears. 'Eyes and ears are very healthy, she's showing no signs of neurological impairments or auditory concerns, so that's good, because those are the most common concerns when you have a baby turned like she was during the birth itself.' She bumped the tip of her finger lightly on Tessi's nose twice, pleased when she blinked. 'Yep, looking good.'

She moved on to examine Tessi's joints and leg and arm muscles, gently palpitating her stomach and got a burp as she did so. 'How many times a day is she wetting or soiling her diaper?'

'About ten to twelve, though her record in a single day is fourteen,' Meredeth replied.

'Good, that's the sign that she's getting enough to eat, so she's a good little snacker. What about sleeping, is she settling into a routine?'

This time Esposito responded. 'Meredeth usually nurses her between seven and eight at night, then she'll sleep until eleven-ish, need another snack, back to bed until about two, another snack, then asleep until six, six-thirty in the morning.'

'That's good as well. It usually takes babies on mother's milk longer to settle into a routine because breast-milk is digested so fast, so they tend to be a little more wakeful.'

'Should we be concerned that she is settling so quickly into a routine, that it means there's something wrong?' Meredeth asked, relieved when Cook shook her head.

'Every baby is different, and yours is developing well, she's very bright and alert, and if she's staying awake and sleeping well, then you're very lucky parents.'

'Yeah, 'cause when she sleeps, she's really asleep.' Esposito let the muscles in his hand relax so that when Tessi flapped her arms, she wasn't meeting any resistance from him. 'We have a large dog, a Boxer-Great Dane mix, and even when he barks at the mailman going past in the living room, she doesn't wake.'

Cook made some notations on Tessi's file, then closed it, set it on the table in the room. 'A lot of new parents are concerned when they have pets, that the baby not waking when the dog barks, but babies are curious little creatures and tend to adapt those noises as part of home. It's why when they don't hear those noises at night, like say if you go to a hotel, they become irritable. So I wouldn't be concerned at this point, because she is responding to noise and if she does hear your dog barking when she's awake and looks around for the source of it, then that shows there's nothing to be worried about.'

'Okay good.' Meredeth made the mental note to file this away. 'That dog loves Tessi and I'd hate for anything to be wrong with that puppy-baby relationship.'

'Is there anything else we need to do today, Doc?' Esposito asked, tugging Tessi's onsie back into place since her examination was finished as well, and Meredeth heard the note of concern in his voice which she knew to be one thing. As big and tough as her cop was, she knew he was dreading one thing above all others for Tessi's first check-up - the possibility of Tessi needing a shot of some kind.

Cook picked up on it two and shook her head. 'No, Detective, there's nothing else. Her next check-up, at eight weeks, she will get her first vaccination so I'd advise you to do a little reading on what to expect for that one.'

'Okay. Hear that, Tessi-boo?' he cooed at his girl. 'No pointy business for you today.'

With their appointment finished and Cook asking to see them back in four weeks time, just after the holiday weekend, Esposito strapped Tessi to his chest while Meredeth shouldered the baby bag.

'So, Daddy, you survived your first trip to the doctor's with the baby,' she grinned. 'And there were no tears from anyone, so I say that calls for a celebration.'

'Oh?'

'How about we take a little drive, and have some fro-yo?'

'What you think, Tess-inator?' Esposito asked his little girl, then pulled a gooey face when he saw she was nodding off against his body. 'She says, do whatever you want, just don't wake me.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	12. First Photo Shoot

When Tessi was one month old, the Esposito family took their first trip together out in public. He'd decided to follow through on the conversation he'd had with Meredeth in the hospital on doing their family portrait, and emailed Sloan Machado. She'd been more than thrilled to do it for them, especially after she'd done their wedding photography and it had turned out so beautifully that she'd asked to use a couple of the arty black and white candids in her professional portfolio. Though the weather had decided to warm up in the early days of May, Tessi was still bundled up in her spring gear for her first subway trip across town.

As Esposito walked down Fifty-Second Street towards Lexington, he held one of Meredeth's hands while she kept the other steady on the baby, reveling in how short a time it seemed that they'd had their baby.

'She's already a month old, Mere, can you believe it?'

'I know.' Meredeth cuddled Tessi against her chest in her sling. 'Our baby is one month old.'

'And she gets to go on her first photo-shoot today.'

Esposito held open the door of the building to let his wife and baby go through first.

He smiled when he saw the modest little reception area which consisted of a two-person couch, a potted Meyer lemon tree and a whip thin man in a stylish high-necked pullover and stove-pipe jeans, a cluster of silver earrings jingling on his left ear every time he moved, and thick-framed black glasses typing on a Mac desk-top while speaking into a headset.

'Yes, Sloan is available on June twenty-six, but not until after three pm. Excellent, I'll pencil you in.' He clicked a key on the keyboard, and glanced up. 'You're the Espositos?'

'Yes.'

'Wonderful, I'll show you right in.' He stood up, removing his headset and opened a door cleverly disguised in the wall.

The air was significantly cooler, though Meredeth knew from being on photo-shoots herself before that it was so the equipment wouldn't overheat and the lamps wouldn't make the models sweat, just keep them warm. The studio space was airy and welcoming, all white and silver and polished glass with hardwood flooring. The mark of a good photographer was to be able to take those elements and use them to his or her advantage, Meredeth had also learned from having her book-jacket shots taken.

Over at the muted blue backdrop was a young pair of women in jeans and white tank-tops with, Esposito saw, the beginnings of baby bumps popping up under the fabric. There was music, soft Celtic instrumentals, the kind that his partner always said made him think of rolling green hills and pixies hiding amongst the dewy blades of grass. Crouching down and moving for different angles was Sloan herself, looking every inch the New York artist with her long black hair bundled under a bandana, shredded jeans with a wide leather belt and oversized black t-shirt with the words 'I Just Want Someone to Love Me For My Money' scrawled in hot pink script. She set aside her camera and nodded at her models.

'Thank you very much ladies, I think that should do it for me.' Sloan went to the desk for a bottle of water, then saw her next group had arrived. Grinning, she bounded over to give them a hug. 'Hey you guys! Oh, let me see, let me see.'

Meredeth pulled back the edge of the sling to show off Tessi, who'd awoken from her nap on the walk over from the subway. 'She's just over a month old,' she said proudly as Sloan gently brushed her fingertip over the cheek.

'What a beautiful girl. Come, come have a seat.' Sloan unearthed a chair to offer Meredeth. 'Get that little darling all unwrapped, and we can get started with getting you in some test shots.'

Out of seemingly nowhere, a couple of assistants appeared to set up the backdrop and staging area appropriate for a family shot. They continued to work while Meredeth took Tessi out of her sling and Sloan continued to talk.

'Before we get started, I have news. I am doing a showing in about six weeks at the Newsome Gallery, just off Broadway and Eighteenth Street.'

'That's fantastic, Sloan,' Esposito complimented her. 'What's the theme, or subject I guess you'd say.'

'It's all about the many ways a woman can be beautiful, and I was hoping, if you're cool with it, that we could use some shots from today of just Meredeth and Tessi for the new motherhood aspect. I know you're kind of a celebrity already, Mere, but if you're not cool with your baby being in the shot, that's totally understandable.'

'I'm okay with it, Mere,' Esposito said after thinking on it a moment.

'Really?'

'Yeah, I mean, I'd rather have someone appreciate the photo of you and Tessi in their home as art rather than have some sleezy paparazzi or newsstand rag-snapper catch photos of you guys out on the town. I know it doesn't happen often, but...I don't know, this way I just feel more comfortable.'

'Okay.' Meredeth looked at Sloan and nodded. 'It's fine then. But only one.'

'That's perfect. You ready to get started?'

* * *

It was different than the last photo shoot Esposito had gone on with Meredeth. She'd been taking sexy photos for men's magazines, while this was more artistic. Not that Avery hadn't done a bang-up job but there was a difference between selling to the beer-and-football crowd and the kind who went to gallery openings to purchase art by way of little colour coded stickers on the info-plaques.

They were all in black shirts and jeans, even Tessi, whose outfit included tiny little black Mary-Janes with white socks. There were shots of all three together, just the new parents in their 'You Think I'm Cute' shirts, even shots just for Meredeth of Esposito shirtless in his jeans with Tessi in just her diaper. Those ones, the silent assistants had arranged some comfy black leather bean-bag chairs on the floor and had Esposito lay down on his back with Tessi on his chest. She was getting big enough that she could keep her head almost perfectly balanced while lying on her tummy, and he saw the glint in Meredeth's eye that told him they would make good use of Tessi's after-dinner nap time for themselves.

'Here, Tessi, go see Mommy,' Esposito said, when Sloan had snapped the last shot and she was starting to squirm. He sat up, smiling widely when he saw Tessi's face brighten as she scented Meredeth. He pulled his shirt back on, then held Tessi while Meredeth positioned herself for her own photo-shoot with her daughter. He was still wrapping his head around it. He'd made that little life with his beautiful Danish angel, someone so sweet and innocent and pure had come from them both. 'Love you, baby.'

'Love you too, Daddy,' Meredeth said in the voice she used when speaking for Tessi. She took her daughter's little wrist in her hand and waved it. 'Say, hi Daddy. We're having a star treatment day, aren't we? Yes we are.'

'Oh, hold that, hold that smile Mere.' Sloan grabbed her Nikon, her precious flagship camera in her arsenal, and captured the moment - the new mother so proud of her baby, the little one with that adorable lip-pucker of a smile, both looking away from the photographer to Esposito with such love it made Sloan give them a gooey look when she lowered her camera. 'I think that just became one of my centerpieces for the show.'

'Yeah?'

'Yeah, I think I'll make it a trio. Meredeth, Meredeth and you and Tessi, Meredeth and Tessi. Do it as a panoramic meld.' Sloan turned to Esposito with that energetic smile she always seemed to have. 'You guys are so pretty together, it's painful.'

With the photo shoot wrapping up, Sloan gave them the necessary paperwork for them to give their permission for her to use the images for her show along with the cards promoting her show -_ One Word, Many Shapes: A Portrait of the Modern Woman_ - for the middle of June. Tessi was wrapped up in her sling, and they headed once more out onto the streets of New York to find a spot for some lunch.

'That was fun,' Esposito said, following Meredeth into the side-walk cafe where they sat down on the open patio. He pulled his chair over so they were sitting beside each other. His ego swelled with fatherly pride when Tessi reached out and wrapped her fingers around his pinky as he gestured while talking. 'Hey, princess, you need my attention?'

'She says, Daddy, you looked so handsome, Mommy made me promise to give you some alone grown-up time tonight.'

'Oh my god! It's really you, isn't it?'

Meredeth and Esposito looked up to see a young woman in her early-twenties in a floral skirt with a mailbag over her shoulder; she was almost skipping up and down she was so excited.

'You're Meredeth Esposito, the author, right?'

'Yes,' Meredeth said at length, her hands moving protectively over Tessi.

'I'm Melanie Fyodor, big fan.' Melanie stuck out her hand for Meredeth to shake, and Meredeth obliged her. 'Would I be able to get a picture with you and your family?'

'Don't see why not.' Esposito smiled reassuringly, gave Meredeth a comforting squeeze. 'We just came from a photo shoot, but I don't think one more will hurt.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	13. First Thunderstorm

A low vibration in the bed woke Meredeth from a deep sleep. Confused, she looked around, then saw the blinking numbers on the clock on her side of the bed and realized what she'd felt was a rumble of thunder.

_Tessi_ was immediately her first thought, so with a quick kiss on her husband's shoulder, Meredeth tossed back the covers and carefully padded out of the room to the nursery. The baby monitor had a battery back-up so she wasn't worried about not hearing her daughter, but she wanted to be near-by in case Tessi had stirred and was having a small freak-out of her own from the noise.

She opened the door to the nursery and could smell the baby powder and sea-breeze scents that always permeated the room. It was dark and since she'd forgotten a flashlight, Meredeth picked her way over to the crib and had a moment of pure terror when she heard the grumble from near the window.

'Artie,' she hissed and heard the trademark _thump-thump_ of his tail and relief swamped her senses. 'Artie,' she hissed again, 'come here.'

The dog wasn't having any of it, so Meredeth let him be as she went to check on Tessi, but when she heard the rumble of thunder again, low an ominous, Arturo sat up so he was staring out the window and growling back.

'What are you...' Meredeth trailed off when she picked Tessi up and realized that her daughter was awake but neither cranky nor scared and simply moving against her mommy, little fingers clutching at the skin of her shoulder. 'Okay, big girl, we're going to get Daddy.'

They walked into the bedroom where Esposito had sat up and dug into the bedside table for a flashlight he was waving around like a kid with a July Fourth sparkler. He lowered it, casting shadows in some creepy places but he could see Meredeth and his little treasure coming back in the room.

'Hey, is she okay?' he asked.

'Yeah just fine. You gotta see what Artie is doing though, it's hilarious.'

Esposito popped out of bed, flashlight in hand and went to the nursery to see the giant honey-coloured dog staring out the window growling ferociously at the sky every time it thundered.

'He's protecting Tessi,' he murmured. 'He has no idea it's from a rainstorm, he's just looking out for his girl.'

'Can't ask for a better body-guard than your hundred-pound puppy.'

'I knew he'd taken to sleeping in her but I never expected him to be so protective so quickly.'

There was a sharp snap of thunder, accompanied by lightning and this time, Tessi's face folded up and she began to cry.

'Oh, oh, sweetie, shh shh shh, it's okay, Mommy's here, Daddy's here, we won't let anything hurt you,' Meredeth crooned, holding the baby close to her chest, patting her back while Tessi wailed away. From inside the nursery, Arturo came trotting out, sniffing at Tessi's feet, then racing back in when there was another low rumble.

'Why don't you take her downstairs?' Esposito suggested. 'The stove is gas so you could have some tea, or pot-steam some milk for cocoa.'

'Okay. Hey what time is it anyways?'

Esposito fished his phone from his sleep-pants pocket. 'About quarter to one?'

'Okay. She's probably hungry too.'

Once in the kitchen, Meredeth lit up the 'ocean-front' scented jar-candles she'd received from Honey-Milk at her baby shower, as Meredeth found the aroma quite calming, particularly when Tessi had been very active inside the belly when all she'd wanted was a little peaceful rest. The glow was enough to light most of the airy kitchen and Meredeth could see that Tessi in addition to being out of sorts from the thunderstorm was starting to make her fish-face signifying that she was hungry. They went over and sat in the armchair so Meredeth could see out the front window through the curtains the heavy downpour of early May while Tessi latched herself to her mother's breast and suckled as much in hunger as in security.

Esposito jogged down the stairs, Meredeth's iPhone in hand. 'So it's our block and a couple others in Chelsea, and a few north of us in Hell's Kitchen,' he told her. 'I picked up the signal from that bagel place that offers free wi-fi on Twenty-Sixth, and I used your weather app thingy to see if there was any information on it. How's our Tessi-boo?'

'She was crying.'

'I know, I heard.'

'No, Javi, she was actually crying she had two little tears roll out, I saw the watermarks on her cheeks.'

Esposito pouted as he quirked his eyebrows. 'Aw. Artie's still in the nursery, making sure no monster get in. Why do you think she doesn't flip out at the thunder rumbles but the snaps make her lose it?'

'The lower frequencies, I think. Babies like vibrations, especially when they're upset, it's akin to a heartbeat.'

'That makes sense, then, why Lili put Rosie on the dishwasher when Rosie was a little colicky, the hum of it would make her tummy stop hurting.'

'Well, and also too,' Meredeth helped Tessi switch sides before continuing, 'remember when I'd get really bad menstrual cramps, how I'd take the car and drive around, the shockwaves from the engine were very calming.'

'I remember. Hey, ah, I've been thinking...' Esposito scratched the back of his head, hoping he didn't sound selfish or juvenile. 'Castle is having a boys-only poker night this week-'

'Oh, do you want me to make you something to take with?'

He blinked. 'Okay, not what I was expecting. You're cool with me going?'

'Of course, you need your friends too, and social life aside, you're going back to work on the sixteenth, so getting used to you not being here twenty-four seven is important for both of us.' Meredeth smiled reassuringly at him. 'Javi, just because you want to spend a night with your boys doesn't mean you're abandoning us, and it certainly doesn't mean you're a bad or selfish father.'

'Good.' Esposito let out a little breath.

'Besides, I know Honey-Milk's been wanting to take me out for dinner too, since my little meltdown about my mother, so you'd have Tessi for a night to yourself.'

'Oh I like that, especially before I go back to work.'

Meredeth smiled, sat Tessi up straight with one hand supporting her jaw, the other firmly patting her back until she heard the unmistakeable pop of the burp, swiftly followed by a fart. 'Oh, man, Tessi, you got it coming from both ends, don't you?'

'Here, I'll change her, you grab us a drink, something cold.'

Esposito took his daughter from his wife, headed upstairs as he talked to Tessi. 'We can't have your little princess bottom all gross and nasty can we, sweetheart?'

He turned into the nursery and nearly tripped over Arturo on his way to the change table, where he'd propped the flashlight and began to freshen her diaper half in the shadows. At least by now her umbilicus had fallen off so he didn't have to worry about bumping it in the dark. When he smeared on the Vaseline so she wouldn't have any rashes or skin irritation and fixed her nappie on, Esposito wiped his hands on a towel bound for the laundry anyways and went into his own bedroom where he stretched out on his back and put Tessi on his chest. She kicked a little but before long was yawning and burrowing against his chest, all curled up like a little Dane-o-Rican shrimp.

'Hey, can I join the party?'

Esposito smiled at Meredeth when she came in with two bottles of iced tea and the candles on a coffee tray, giving the room a very Victorian Gothic feel. 'Of course. I feel like you should be telling stories.'

'Well, I was thinking of one in particular, but it would require putting the baby in her own room first. Is she out?'

'Like a lamp.'

Esposito sat up, adjusting Tessi on his shoulder, and with Meredeth following like a light-bearing sentry, took the baby into the nursery and tucked her in. Both parents gave their baby a warm kiss, leaving the door partially open for Arturo to go out if he wanted, though they knew the dog was honour bound to stand watch over his young mistress.

When they went back to their own room, Esposito was barely back in bed with his wife when she fused her mouth to his, her tongue tracing an outline of his lips. 'I was thinking,' she said in a husky voice that made the blood go straight into his lap, 'we could have a dirty bedtime story by lamplight.'

'Sexy.'

'Before we get started though,' Meredeth paused while she tugged her shirt over her head so that her beautiful breasts were displayed in her nursing bra for Esposito's viewing pleasure, 'Just remember we can't make love like we want to.'

'Can we do that teenage rubbing up against each other thing, and maybe get a little low five from you?'

'Yeah.'

'Then I'm good.' Esposito kissed her back, just as sweetly and erotically. 'So are we traveling in this one?'

'To the French riviera.'

Visions of Meredeth wearing just a thong on a white-sand beach floated through his mind and made him clear his throat. 'Tell me more.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	14. First Nightmare

_Hello everyone, hope you're enjoying the holidays as much as I am! This chapter was an unexpected one, but after reading a certain TV Guide article, it was impossible to resist writing it. Enjoy!_

* * *

'Hello? Anyone home?'

Meredeth called out as she brought the groceries in one hand from the car and Tessi's carrier in the other. She grinned at her daughter. 'Guess Daddy used our shopping trip to have a nap, huh?'

When she'd put away the food, she took her daughter upstairs to the nursery for her own nap, making kissy noises at her the entire time while she changed her diaper. When Tessi was in bed for her nap, Meredeth crept out of the room, closing the door quietly; she nearly tiptoed past the master bedroom when her world froze.

From the other side of the closed door she heard a woman's pleasured sigh. Heart pounding in her chest, Meredeth flung open the door and her heart shattered into a thousand pieces.

Her husband was in bed but he was most definitely not asleep. Naked underneath him, with legs wrapped around his equally naked body, was Lanie.

'Lanie?' was all Meredeth could manage for the moment.

She turned to face Meredeth and sneered in a superior female way. 'Oh, hi Mere, we're almost done,' she said.

'Lanie? Javi? I can't...Oh my god, I...how long has this been going on?'

'Does it matter?' Lanie cried out as she came, Esposito following close behind her. When he'd rolled off of her, Lanie wrapped one of Meredeth's bedsheets around her body, a subtle slap at Meredeth. 'Did you think you could stay looking like that and he'd want to keep having sex with you?'

'I...I thought he liked the way I looked,' she said on a wobble, then forced herself to steel over. No way would she give them the satisfaction. 'How long?'

'Since about Thanksgiving, when you started looking really fat. Turns out you're not the only who likes my shave head, Mere,' Esposito told her with a cocky grin, which only turned more vicious when he studied Meredeth's face. 'What, you didn't really think I'd love you forever did you? Besides it's just sex.'

Meredeth felt invisible hands grabbing at her shoulders trying to hold her back but nothing and no one was going to satisfy the savage, vengeful beast in her gut until she saw them both mutilated. 'Just sex?' she spat. 'You sonofabitch, I'll kill you!'

She lunged forward as she screamed and found herself awake in her own bed, panting and rocking back and forth as Esposito held her close.

'Mere,' he murmured, 'it's okay, it's okay, I'm here, Javi's here.'

'Javi.' His name escaped her lips on a sob and her arms came around him automatically. She began to cry in earnest, not the stressed-out tears of a new mother, but of a woman whose heart was on the verge of total destruction.

'What's wrong, Mere?' he asked, dangerously close to being choked up himself as he saw his wife shuddering while she wept. She hadn't had a night terror, he knew, so what could she have possibly dreamed to make her look so utterly sick and terrified?

'You were fucking Lanie.'

The absurdity of it had a laugh escaping his lips. 'No I wasn't.'

'Yes you were, I put Tessi down for a nap, and I heard a woman, so I opened the door and you were naked on top of Lanie. You said you'd been together since Thanksgiving but it was just sex, and besides, did I really think you'd love me forever, and Lanie added in there, did I really think I'd keep you looking the way I do?'

'Meredeth, you and I both know I never had anything going on with Lanie, I never even kissed her, except a friendly peck on the cheek when she told us she was pregnant.'

'I know, but...but...'

'Oh, my love.' Esposito pulled her close, let her cry it out. 'I love you, Meredeth Dakkars, I love you so much it hurts some days.'

'I love you too, Javier Jimeno, I can't see straight I love you so much.'

'I would never, _ever_, do that to you. You're my Danish angel, and the best part of my life, you and our gorgeous baby.' Esposito squeezed her tightly for the comfort. 'Lanie is a friend, and yes, she did have a crush on me but I never reciprocated it.'

'I know that too.'

'So what made you dream such a horrible thing, that I'd do that to you?'

'Probably because the doctor told me I can't start to actually lose baby pounds until after Memorial Day, and we were planning to make love again for the first time that weekend, and all I could think was, Lanie has that perfect post-baby body, you can't even tell she had a baby. Me, I look like a jelly-fish had a one-night stand with a bowl of Jell-O.'

'Mere, believe me, you're not. You're so beautiful and I'm not saying that to make you feel better. Remember that woman who took the picture of us after we left Sloan's?'

'Uh-huh.'

'She posted it on Twitter and that gossip column, Out and About, you know see the stars in their natural habitats, they posted it and all the comments were talking about how amazing you look.'

'I don't care about any of those, though. I just care about your opinion and you'd never do anything like that to me because you love me.'

'Now she's makin' sense,' he teased, pleased when he got a laugh. 'And recall if you will, the reason we're in bed in the middle of the afternoon is why?'

Meredeth squirmed and felt like herself again. 'Because after we finished grocery shopping and put the baby down, we came in here and blew each other's minds with an orgasm or two.'

'Exactly.'

'Oh God.' Meredeth shook her head, burrowed against her husband. 'I feel so stupid.'

'Don't. It's perfectly natural to have a dream like that. You're worried about your body, and Lanie's a woman you admire who's had a baby. It's completely understandable she'd pop up as the manifest of your own insecurities.'

'How come you never spaz like this?'

'Uh, hello? Who was the one who thought a pair of reading glasses was the end of the world? And that was a real thing, this was a dream. Not to mention the fact that I turned forty two weeks after Tessi was born and a bunch of guys at the precinct decided it'd be cute to call me Grandpa. I know you love me, and that you think I'm hot with or without my glasses and that it didn't bother you that I was almost at the big four-oh when Tessi was born.'

'I know you love me too and you are hot. You could make a paper-bag sexy.'

'So could you.'

Meredeth leaned in, kissed him deeply and almost wanted to start crying again when she felt him kiss her back. She leaned back when she realized the stickiness on her chest wasn't sweat but milk released during her crying jag. 'Oh, Jesus Christ. I leaked again.'

'It's okay.' Esposito kissed her again, then scooting out of bed, still naked, went to the ensuite and dampened a hand-towel with hot water. He hated seeing his beautiful Meredeth so upset, and as he waited for the temperature of the water to reach the appropriate degree, he thought of a little something he could do to reassure his still very-hormonal wife.

When he came back to her, he nudged her so she lay flat on her back and softly swiped at her tender breasts to remove the traces of milk there. Once he'd dried her and wiped off his own skin just to make sure there were no leftovers to go sour there either, Esposito tossed the towels aside and ran the palm of his hand over her face, down her throat, between her breasts, over the curve of her stomach down to between her thighs, where he let his fingers rest against the cotton there. 'Meredeth Dakkars Esposito, I love every soft, kissable inch of you.' He began to stroke her gently. 'No one makes me feel the way you do. No one loves me like you do, like I'm the sexiest man alive, even when I feel like nothing more than a musclebound muscle-head.'

'Javi-'

She was cut off when he held a finger to her lips, his other hand still softly touching her. 'I will never love anyone like my honey-haired, blue-eyed goddess.'

'Oh, Javi.' Meredeth reached up, pulled him in for a kiss, then whimpered in delight. 'You make me feel so sexy, and those extra bits I have, they've never really mattered, like deep down mattered, when I'm around you. I feel like a supermodel the way you look at me.'

'I know.' Esposito moved his mouth to her ear. 'I can't wait to taste you down here, to feel you, to slip inside you and hear you scream my name.'

'Thirteen days, my love.'

'I know. But until then...' He trailed off as he hips arched up off the bed against his hand, and he heard her strangled cry as the orgasm flooded through her; to her utter relief, her breasts stayed dry this time. 'We can still do that,' he finished off, watching her face as she came down from the peak of pleasure.

'I love you Javi.'

I love you too Mere.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	15. First Mother's Day

_Hello Crumbsian fans, happy holidays, hope you are having as much fun as me on your winter break (or summer break, NCISchick). As I was reading through the last chapters, I realized I'd left out a very very important chapter! _

* * *

When Meredeth awoke, the first thing she noticed was that her breasts were slightly tender, like she was overdue to pump out or nurse her daughter. Odd, she thought, she never felt that. The second the she noticed was that there was no electric hum from the baby monitor. Confused, thinking there might be another power outage in the daytime, she rolled over to check the time. A quick glance at the clock told her it was almost eight-thirty which had her freaking out. She'd slept through her daughter crying for milk on the baby monitor, was her first panicked thought, what kind of mother did that, let her one month old go hungry because she was too lazy to wake at the right time.

Then she saw the note propped up on her husband's pillow. His loopy scrawl on the delicate pink paper made her lips spread into a smile.

_Good morning gorgeous. I wonder what today is?_

Meredeth shook her head feeling a little foolish. Of course Esposito would let her sleep - he had something planned for her. He'd woken with his own alarm since he was on early Tessi patrol, and had taken the baby monitor with him so he could feed her by bottle and let her rest while he did whatever he was doing for the surprise. He also knew well her loathing of alarm clocks to turn it off entirely and let her wake on her own. But why?

Yawning and stretching, she grabbed her kimono off the back of the door and grinned when she saw another note.

_It's not your birthday, or Easter or Hallowe'en_.

She laughed; the man didn't do it often but when he put his mind to it, he had a real flare for clever surprises. With the first note in her pocket, she added the second one, opened the door. The scent of bacon and pastry hit her nose all the way from the kitchen, a most welcome and unexpected fragrance. When she took her first step, she felt the paper under her feet and looking down, saw little cut-out arrows stamped with baby footprints leading her towards the staircase.

'What a guy,' she murmured, and followed the arrows to find yet another sign waiting for her at the bottom landing by the front door.

_It's not Christmas or New Year's or the Fourth of July. Wonder what it could be? _

Once again there were more arrows point the way, leading to her into the living room ending in a little red stop-sign by the coffee table. She pressed her hands to her mouth when she saw what was waiting for her. In the armchair was a trio of glossy lemon-yellow bags with eggplant purple tissue paper sticking out, Meredeth's favourite colours, and a large white poster-board covered in gold and purple sparkling letters propped up behind them._  
_

_You got it! Happy Mother's Day, Mommy, Love Tessi (and Daddy and Artie, too) xoxo_

'And we really mean it.'

She glanced up and saw her husband in the doorway with the video camera and Tessi strapped to his chest in her sling; the baby was wide awake and smiling when she saw her mommy, and wiggled excitedly at Meredeth's voice. Behind him, Arturo was sniffing at his back and wedging his way out towards Meredeth. She flashed her grin, and Esposito's heart thumped madly with love for his wife as she walked over and gave him a long kiss.

'Thank you, Javi, and you too Tessi. I wouldn't be a mommy without you.'

'Which would you like first, breakfast or presents?' Esposito laughed at himself when Meredeth simply arched an eyebrow. 'Why am I even asking? Presents, of course.'

He leaned over and picked up the parcels from the chair so Meredeth could sit down, then resumed filming.

'This is Meredeth's first Mother's Day,' he narrated for an unknown audience, 'and she'll say she doesn't look so great with her hair unbrushed or no make-up but I think she's absolutely nuts to think she's anything but absolutely gorgeous.'

'Aw, I love you Javi.'

'Love you too Mere.' He set the camera down momentarily to unstrap Tessi from his chest and pass her to Meredeth. 'The little one is from Arturo. He was our first baby, so to say.'

'That he was. Oh look at this!' Meredeth pulled out a dark green baseball cap with the works _Mama Hawk_ printed in the trademark Lady Hawk font. 'Is this for when we're walking in the park together, Artie? Thanks boy.' She stretched out her chin to let the mixed-breed give her a lick before he went over to the other side of the coffee table and plunked himself down to chew on his rope-toy.

'Tessi says open hers next.'

Meredeth kissed the top of Tessi's fuzzy black head, felt her little body flex and jerk; she'd started doing that a little to try and start rolling over. 'Did you go shopping with Daddy?'

'She digs online shopping. Remind me to never let her have my credit card number.'

'Uh-huh, I bet there's...' Meredeth trailed off as she pulled out the spa certificates from the bag, eyes going round as marbles. 'Oh wow. Enjoy an afternoon of pampering and pleasure at the hands of our beauty professionals at the Hidden Hudson Day Spa. Where is that?'

'I can't answer that until you open your next gift.'

'Well isn't Daddy the tricky one today?' She put the gift certificates on the table, passed Tessi back to Esposito to have both hands free for her last gift. She tore into the largest bag with aplomb, pulled out a beautiful black dress. It was knee-length, silky soft with a v-neck plunging down to the empire waist. 'Javier, this is gorgeous! But, when do I get to wear it?'

'That's the last part of your surprise.' He adjusted Tessi on his lap. 'Remember how Constance got us a weekend at The River Valley Inn? The same weekend, there's a big charity dinner which I scored us seats to. Dinner, dancing, the works.'

'Is it any wonder I love you?' Meredeth knew she was at risk of mushy overload but she didn't care.

'I want my queen to look like and feel like a million dollars, and Tessi wants to brag to whoever is babysitting her that night that her mommy is the RLG of two-seventy-one West Twenty-Fifth Street.'

'RLG?'

'Resident Love Goddess.' Esposito stood up, Tessi in his arms, and gave her a soft sweet kiss. 'And later, perhaps the RLG will let this humble cop worship her gorgeous body in a very grown-up mommy-and-daddy-only way.'

'Most definitely.' Meredeth kissed him back. 'Okay, time for food.'

'Brace yourself, I cooked.'

'You cooked?'

'Oh, I cooked.'

Intrigued, Meredeth whistled for Artie and the four of them went into the kitchen where Meredeth got surprise number...whatever it was; she'd stopped counting. On the table was a vase of white and yellow roses with yellow tulips mixed in along with their wedding china already set for two for breakfast complete with wine flutes and cups for tea and coffee. Orange juice waited in a wine decanter between two unlit beeswax candles in brass holders. The baby swing they'd ordered had finally been delivered and was put between their places; underneath it was where Arturo decided to lay to protect his young mistress.

Esposito put Tessi in her swing and she made happy little noises as he gently rocked her before moving over and pulling out her chair for her. 'Lady of the manor, your breakfast awaits,' he said grandiosely, taking her by the hand and kissing her knuckles as she sat down.

'Thank you kindly, my good lord.'

'And now, the ultimate test of your love for me.'

He went over and pulled open the oven door, took out two lidded casserole dishes which he put on the table before bringing a bowl of fresh sliced fruit to the table as well. 'For our first Mother's Day breakfast, we have whole-wheat waffles with dark chocolate chips and low salt extra crunchy bacon.'

'My, my, this looks delicious.' Though he was improved as a chef, it was generally understood that Meredeth was the cook of the Esposito household. She sliced a square of her waffle, sampled it. It was, in a word, delicious. 'Where did you get this recipe from?'

'Lili. Cam's a waffle man like me and this is her go-to recipe, but I added the chocolate because, well, it's me.' He watched the way she dug in with enthusiasm and nodded then rolled her eyes in delight as she chewed. 'You like?'

'Oh, God, if I hadn't already, I'd tell you I'd have your babies as a thank-you for this.'

'Tessi did mention she'd like twin brothers while we were in the kitchen this morning,' he teased her. 'But that can wait until we have a little more practice with her under our belts.'

'Agreed, though it doesn't mean we can't practice lots and lots.'

'And lots,' he added, pouring her juice. 'Starting this afternoon, when a certain blue-eyed miss has her two o'clock nap.'

'You know we can't actually have sex yet, right?'

'I know, but it doesn't mean we can't make love.'

Meredeth spluttered a little in her juice. 'And how exactly are we going to achieve that without...joining?'

'You'll see.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	16. First Daddy's Night Out

'What you think, Tessi, blue pullover or grey button-down?'

'She says, blue, Daddy. It makes you look very handsome.'

'Then blue it is, my sweet.'

Esposito tugged the shirt on before turning around for his wife and daughter's approval. 'How do I look?' he asked.

'Like you're going to win a lot of money at your card game from Kevin Ryan.'

He smiled, chucking a finger under Tessi's chin. She was starting to hold her head up on her own now, but her balance was still very wobbly, so she still needed Meredeth's support on the back of her head to make sure she didn't hurt herself. 'What you think, Tessi-boo, Daddy's going to win some money to take you and Mommy somewhere fancy?'

'She says of course Daddy. And even if it's only a dollar, we can have some gum.' Meredeth followed Esposito downstairs where he tugged on his shoes, grabbed his keys out of the bowl by the door. 'Give me a shout when you're on your way home, okay?'

'I always do. Love you gorgeous.'

'Love you too handsome.'

'And I love you too, princess,' he added, kissing Tessi before giving his wife a kiss that told her win or lose, they'd be celebrating later when he got back from poker night.

He headed out for SoHo in the Nissan, arriving as promptly as he could with the traffic, and fought the itch in his fingers to whip out his cell and text Meredeth in the elevator of Castle's building. He wouldn't be that daddy, not tonight; he was out with the men to drink some beer and play some cards. There'd be plenty of time for that when he went back to work the following Monday. It was hard to think that six weeks had flown by so quickly; he was surprised to find a small part of him was dreading returning to work, but it made sense when he realized the sole reason for it was that he just wanted to be with his girls and not because he didn't want to go back to his job.

Stepping off the elevator, he pulled his phone from his pocket and nearly gave in to sending Meredeth a quick text, but was stopped when the door opened in front of him and Beckett came out with Martha. 'Oh, hey Kate, Mrs. R. Didn't think I'd run into you tonight.'

'We're on our way to the movies, they're doing a special screening of _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_. Martha's first role after Rick was born was Nurse Ratched in an off-Broadway production.'

'Javier, congratulations again on the baby.' Martha enveloped the new daddy in an embrace of silk blouse and Rive Gauche perfume. 'Richard showed me the photos and she's just a little peach. Before you know it she'll be up walking and talking, and-'

'Martha, we're going to be late if we don't make the subway.' Knowing her mother-in-law could talk about babies the whole night, a subtle-and-yet-not-so nudge at her son, Beckett put her hand on Martha's shoulder to steer her towards the elevator. 'Javier, please don't let my husband clean Ryan out of all his money. He really wants to take Jenny out for a nice dinner soon.'

'You got it.'

The two Castle women - and it still made Esposito chuckle a little to think of Beckett as a Castle woman - caught the elevator just as he closed the door behind him, and Castle greeted him jovially, if loudly.

'Hey big daddy, glad you could join us. Dave's not coming, by the way, he's on nights tonight. Beer?'

'Sure, but just one. I'm driving.'

'You got it.'

Castle popped up from his spot while Esposito sat down between Cam and Ryan, with Gil beside Cam. 'Ike sends his regards, by the way, Tim had some kind of concert at school tonight, so he's there with Carol. What?' All were looking at him with barely contained glee, which made him look around in confusion. 'Did I miss something?'

'No, we're just waiting to hear proud-new-papa stories from you about little Tessi.'

'Oh.' Esposito tugged his ear. 'Didn't think you wanted to hear those.'

'Of course we do. We've all been there, you know,' Ryan pointed out, shuffling the cards as Castle passed Esposito a bottle of Budweiser, then sat back down. 'She's six weeks now, right?'

'That's a great age. Rosie was figuring out how to hold her head up on her tummy when she was six weeks,' Cam said proudly of his now two-year-old daughter. 'Can she roll over yet?'

'Almost. She's so smiley, too, and a good sleeper, you need to fire a canon through the nursery to wake her some nights.'

'That's cool. No colic?' Ryan asked, passing the deck to Gil to deal. 'I know the first three weeks were hell for Jenny since Dell was colicky.'

'Nope. When she goes down, she goes down, she only freaked out about that thunderstorm last week because the lightening snapped and it scared her.'

'Aw, poor thing. Alexis used to get terrified of thunderstorms because she had such sensitive hearing.' Castle tossed in his chips for the blind, as did Cam. 'And she was convinced that monsters in her closet rode the lightening to earth. I blame that one on reading her _War of the Worlds_ before she was in kindergarten.'

'That'll do it. I'm in for ten.'

'Call.' Ryan tossed his chips in as well. 'Dell never really had those sleep problems, but he had trouble settling into sleep once he was on the needles for his diabetes. He told he didn't want to wake up in the hospital again.'

'Poor little guy, how's he doing?'

'Really well, he's still on the needles but the doctor thinks his sugars are leveling out, so he might be able to control it through diet and tablets, and use the needles for backups. He hasn't had a single insulin attack since October.'

'Does he still have the band-aid on his t-rex?' Cam asked on a laugh, tossing his cards in and drumming his fingers on the table.

'Yeah, he does, and oh my god, he cannot wait to see Tessi on Saturday.' Ryan shook his head as the game progressed around him, Gil also tossing his cards down. 'You'll love this, bro. Dell was Jenny asked what he was doing one afternoon and he said he was making a Tessi-visit bag. He'd picked out toys he wants to take to share with Tessi and a blanket in case she's cold.'

'Dell's in love,' Gil teased his friend.

'Oh, yeah, I know that, he's absolutely nuts about that baby. He also wanted me to ask if Tessi sleeps with her turtle every night, because turtles are good protectors and also bring good luck, according to him.' Ryan snickered. 'Kid's a riot.'

'Okay, read 'em and weep, gents.' Castle turned up the cards, which had Ryan groaning and Esposito smiling - his trio of eights beat Castle's pair of twos and pair of sixes. 'Must be all that new-baby charm rubbing off on you.'

* * *

When Esposito arrived home, just after midnight, he was three hundred dollars richer than when he left, he was greeted by Arturo whining to go out, so he took him down to the end of the block and back for a little exercise before they went inside.

'Where's Mommy and Tessi, boy? Where are they?'

Arturo's ears pricked up and he raced upstairs to the master bedroom, where Esposito stopped and smiled. Meredeth was there with the video camera, as Tessi lay on her tummy in the middle of the bed, discovering her own strength as she started pushing at the soft plum coloured sheets.

'There's my girls!' he declared proudly, and Meredeth moved the video camera up to capture his entrance.

'Hi Daddy, how was your boys' night? Was it all cars and beer and talking about celebrity boobs?'

'More like a bunch of daddies letting me be a new daddy and brag about my baby, trading war stories on diaper changes and spit-up and midnight feedings.' Esposito eased himself onto the bed opposite Meredeth to watch Tessi looking around. When she looked over at him blinking her big eyes and smiling, his heart melted. 'You've got your mommy's smile, no question, Tessi-boo. How about a kiss?'

He leaned in, turning so her little lips met his cheek. 'Aw, thanks princess, now how about one from the queen?'

Meredeth grinned; setting down the video camera, she hopped up and skirted the foot of the bed. She put her hands on his chest and leaned in, giving him a juicy, passionate kiss. 'Nine days, babe,' she murmured. 'Next Saturday, we can get all kinds of romantic.'

'Can't wait.' Esposito ran his hands over her back, down to cup her bottom and squeeze. 'I have very hot, naughty, plans for this fine juicy booty.'

'Ditto.'

'Hey, Tessi,' he hissed in a stage whisper to his daughter. 'You want a little bro or a little sis? Uh-huh,' he nodded, 'I see. Well that won't be a problem at all, princess.'

'What'd she say?'

'She says, I don't care as long as you and Mommy practice lots and lots to get it right.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	17. First Mommy's Night Out I

It was Saturday night and for most couples, it would be considered date night. For Esposito, it still was date night, just not with his wife. He had another beautiful blue-eyed goddess in the making he'd made plans with.

Sitting stretched out on the bed with the laptop on his knees and Tessi on her tummy beside him, watching him carefully, Esposito watched Meredeth pull on a pair of denim crop pants, her butt wiggling in a painfully cute way.

'Looking good, Mama, he told her.

'You know it. The breastfeeding has really boosted my metabolism. I looked at the scale, and I've lost two and a half more pounds since coming home from the hospital, so I'm down four and a half total.'

'That's great, Mere, I'm so happy to see you so happy about it.'

'Yeah, it makes me feel a little more ridiculous about that nightmare freakout I had.'

'Don't. Everyone's entitled to their emotions, aren't they, Tessi?' Esposito leaned close to his daughter, who blinked and cooed at him in what he was almost sure was a giggle. 'She says they sure are, just like super-awesome mommies like you should go out with their friends when they take such great care of little ones like me.'

'So, what's the plan for you two tonight. _Godfather _marathon? Beer and wings at Tierney's? Teaching her to use your service weapon?' Meredeth teased as she picked out a light top that was both flattering and didn't make her feel uncomfortable.

'Oh, we have big plans, Ryan's coming over with Dell and we're playing Lego Indiana Jones so Dell can try and beat the first level of the first game, order some pizza and maybe get wild and have a cuddle-fest on the couch.'

'Well, la-di-da Miss Tessi-boo.' Meredeth stroked on eyeshadow in her vanity mirror, looking in the reflection over her shoulder to her daughter, then froze when she saw Tessi put her hand against Esposito's thigh and shove herself onto her back. 'Oh, my god, Javi! She just rolled over!'

'I see that!'

Meredeth grabbed the video camera as Esposito put Tessi back on her tummy and this time, they caught Tessi rolling over completely independently on camera. 'Oh, man, my little girl's getting so big!' she cried with a laugh. 'She just rolled over all on her own.'

'We'll have to show that one off to Dell and Uncle Kevin won't we?' Scooping his daughter up, Esposito pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek which had her gurgling happily. 'Won't me, miss princess?'

Once Meredeth was finished getting ready, the trio headed downstairs; they were half way there when the doorbell rang and Arturo trotted over happily. Sure enough, Ryan was there with Dell holding his hand, as the younger Ryan clutched a bag almost as big as him.

'Sor-ry we are late, I had to have my nee-dell,' he said with a small note of apology in his voice before tugging on his father's hand. 'Daddy, Tessi is gettin' so big!'

'She is, but she's still very little so we have to play nicely.'

'Okay, Tessi, give Mommy a kiss.' Meredeth leaned in to press her lips to Tessi's cheek. 'Love you, and love you too,' she added, giving her husband a lingering smooch.

'That how Mommy moosh Daddy, too. No hug?' Dell inquired.

'There.' Meredeth wrapped her arms around Esposito, who was holding Tessi tightly. 'I'll call when I'm on my way home. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

Meredeth waved bye-bye once more and headed down the stairs to where Honey-Milk was waiting. 'Hey Jenny.'

'Hey. Lanie's going to meet us for dinner but no movie, because Dave's working nights so she has to be home for Carey.'

'Sounds good to me, I'm excited for a mommy's night out.' She bit her lip as they headed towards the subway station. 'Does that make me a bad mother, or just a selfish one to be happy about being away from my baby?'

'No, just human. And the urge to call and say hi is totally normal. The first night we were away from Dell, when you and Javi looked after him on our anniversary, I had to power down my phone so I wouldn't ring you up every twenty minutes going, what's he doing now?'

Meredeth laughed. 'Javi said he did the same thing a few nights ago on poker night.'

'Both of you have been doing an amazing job so far, and it'll be an adjustment for him to go back to work, but you'll find it's also less scary than you think.'

'Really?'

'Yeah. Ryan took six weeks like that too, and when he went back, I was still on mat-leave and I remember waking up with Dell, he'd been fed and changed and played with and was napping, and I was like, dude, I've got some breathing room for just myself, this is kinda nice.'

'I think I've been doing okay balancing it. Every day, my down time for just me is Tessi's afternoon nap, and Javi gets between Tessi's dinner and our dinner for himself, and we have mornings and evenings together.'

'That's a great way to do it, especially since Tessi's such a good sleeper, very quick to get into a routine like that.'

They continued the baby chatter all the way down to Mercadito's, where they saw Lanie was already waiting for them, a fruity-looking beverage in front of her. 'Hey girl, how are you? Sleeping better I hope with no stupid dreams chasing you around,' she said with a smile.

'Jesus, Lanie, I know scary dreams, and that was just...' Meredeth trailed off on a shudder, making Lanie giggle.

'Trust me, the only one who wants to see that much of Esposito is you, and possibly Ryan on some unconscious level.'

'Oh, trust me, he's already said no one will make him go and wake you two up in the boathouse next weekend at Castle's, not even if they offered him a million dollars and a cure for diabetes.'

'What we've got planned for next weekend requires being fully awake, believe me.'

'A little tip,' Honey-Milk said, after they'd placed drink and appetizer orders. 'Invest in some fun personal lubricant. Your downstairs area will more than likely be a little dry, and you can get K-Y or Glide or even Touche in scents or flavours.'

Lanie nodded in agreement as she sipped her drink. 'Dave and I tried the Glide Strawberry Fields, and they make a Lime-Basil one too.'

'Well, I don't want my hoo-haa to smell like a salad,' Meredeth pointed out, making the other two laugh.

'It won't, it's just the plain kinds smell really chemically and if you're, you know, doing some cunning linguistics, it might feel a little to him like your mouse was dipped in Mr Clean,' Honey-Milk said. 'Not that I think it'd really matter a whole lot, but it's the thought that counts.'

'Oh, by the way, in light of this conversation if any of you order tacos, I may not be able to keep a straight face.' It was most definitely not the subject of girl-talk Meredeth had anticipated having with them on her first night away from Tessi, but then again, they were both in committed relationships with their men and both mothers themselves so they'd both been through this. More than anything, Meredeth was simply grateful to have such close female friends in her life that this kind of discussion wasn't considered too crass or racy, like her own little version of _Sex and the City_. 'Especially with guacamole.'

'In that case, I have news of my own.' Lanie waited until their _queso fundido_ was served along with Meredeth's virgin margarita and Honey-Milk's tequila sunrise. 'Dave and I have set a date.'

'No way, really?'

'Yes. New Year's Eve, at Castle's loft.'

Honey-Milk blinked. 'Seriously?'

'Yeah, we talked about it to him and Beckett, and they thought it was a wonderful idea since everyone we love is going to be there, and we'll Dave's parents and sisters and their families are coming down from Albany for the holiday, and we'll have it be all tuxes and evening gowns.' Lanie bit into her dip-covered tortilla chip, swallowed the delicious mouthful. 'The minister at Lili's church in the West Village is going to do the service for us in the loft, and the best part is, we're doing it at eleven thirty at night, so that when we've said our vows and the minister says 'kiss the bride', it's one minute before midnight.'

'Oh Lanie.' Ever the romantic, Honey-Milk dabbed at her eyes with the corner of her napkin. 'That's so romantic.'

'We haven't picked a best man or maid of honour yet, but we're so totally putting Carey in a little tux and he'll be the ring-bearer.'

'Okay, okay, enough of this, I'm still kind of hormonal from having a baby, so new topic please.' Meredeth waved her hands in front of her face to keep happy tears from ruining her make-up.

'Alright, we'll plan more of the weekend for you and your hubby to get it on,' Lanie agreed. 'You still have some edible massage oils, don't you?'

'Yes, why?'

'Let's just say there's a couple of ways you can use those to really amp up the sexy-times.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	18. First Mommy's Night Out II

While Meredeth and her girls were discussing the highly-anticipated sex of Memorial Day weekend, Esposito and Ryan were getting in touch with their feminine sides - it was time for Tessi's bath, and the notion of two grown men chilling at home with their babies on a Saturday night had both of them wondering if they weren't on God's personal Comedy Network sitcom.

'Watch out Dell,' Esposito said as he brought the filled basin into the nursery and put it in the counter, testing the temperature with his elbow. 'I don't want to spill on you.'

'I am careful.' Dell hung back by his father, who was holding Tessi against his chest. He patted the little girl's foot gently. 'We don' wanna hurt my Tessi.'

'Oh, she's your Tessi, is she?' Ryan laughed. 'What makes her your Tessi?'

'I dunno, but she's my Tessi.'

'Well, the Tessi-nator needs to get changed for her tub-time.' Esposito smiled as he took the smiling Tessi from Ryan's arms.

'Does she make the water messy?' Dell asked, stretching to his tip-toes to see the action.

'No, she's very good that way.'

'Hey, I have an idea.' Ryan picked Dell up, rested him on his hip. 'You okay if Dell sits up by Tessi's feet?'

'Sure. He can be my helper and pass me things.'

Esposito lowered Tessi into the water and when she simply kicked her legs excitedly, he grinned in reflex. 'Such a pretty water baby, aren't you sweetheart?'

'She doesn't have a thingie,' Dell said matter-of-factly, watching as Esposito scooped water gently over Tessi's pink tummy. 'She's a girl, they don't have thingies.'

'We've been learning about body parts this week,' Ryan explained off of Esposito's look, 'and part of that is learning the different between boys and girls.'

Proud of his newfound knowledge, Dell continued to share brightly. 'Girls get buh-rests 'cause they are the ones that feed babies, like Auntie Merry feeds Tessi. But Tessi has a pan-cuh-rees and her works right. Mine doesn', it's why I have a nee-dell ev-er-y day.'

'That's right Dell.'

'I have low buh-lood sugar so I need help to make it right.'

'Exactly. Can you pass me the clear bottel with the purple stuff inside?' Esposito asked, turning Tessi onto her tummy where she flapped her arms lightly and splashed a little in the water.

Intrigued, Dell passed Esposito the requested soap, then leaned forward to inspect Tessi. 'You are a good baby, Tessi, you don' cuh-ry at all.'

'She does cry, but mostly when she's hungry. Thanks little bro.'

Ryan laughed, snapped pictures as he watched his son with Esposito, helping to get the little one cleaned up; Esposito even let Dell scoop a little water up and pour it over Tessi's back.

'Daddy I am helping,' he said proudly, then froze when Tessi began to squirm. 'Oh, what's wrong, Tessi?'

'She's getting hungry, so we're going to wash her hair quickly, then put on her diaper and pjs, and get some milk in her belly.'

'I'll get the water on to float her bottle,' Ryan offered, and at Esposito's nod, helped Dell off the long counter to take the toddler with him.

'It's okay, Kev, he can stay here with me.'

'You sure?'

'Yeah, I can use the hands.'

When Ryan had gone downstairs, Esposito picked Tessi up under her arms with the towel so she was already wrapped up. 'Dell, can you look in the blue bin for me and pass me a diaper for Tessi?'

'There are three blue bins, Un-kell Javi. See, one, two thu-ree.'

'They all have diapers so any one of them.'

'Okay.'

Esposito focused once again on drying Tessi off, when he felt a small hand near his knee.

'Here.'

'Thanks, little bro, now can you go to the red bins and in the middle one is a yellow container with a blue lid, can you bring me that?'

Dell nodded and after a little searching, found the jar. 'What this?' he asked, handing it to Esposito.

'This is called Vaseline and we put it on Tessi's bottom so that when she has her diaper on, she isn't going to get red itchy skin. Can you say Vaseline?'

'Vazah-leen.'

'Good job.' Esposito held out his hand, not at all surprised when Dell pursed his fingers together and did their feed-the-birds secret handshake. With Tessi freshly bathed and her pjs on, the trio headed downstairs, Dell planting each foot on each stair as he went and keeping a death grip on each spindle of the banister. They found Ryan in the kitchen shooing away a persistent Arturo, who'd determined that a human in the kitchen meant he was going to get a treat.

'Artie, leave Daddy alon',' Dell said in a stern voice, making a grumpy face. Since the almost-three-year-old could have easily ridden the dog like a horse, it was more comical than threatening. 'We hafta give Tessi a bot-tell. Ready, Daddy?'

'The water's almost boiled, and then we put the bottle in the bowl of water to warm it so it won't hurt Tessi,' Ryan replied.

'Like buh-lowing on soup?'

'Kind of, yeah.'

'We gonna puh-lay Legos while Tessi eat?'

'Patience, little man.' Esposito took Tessi's bottle from the fridge and put it in the bowl Ryan filled. 'Tessi needs to eat first and go to sleep before we can play.'

'Okay. Come on, Tessi, lunch-time.' Dell went over to the table, once again making the adults chuckle delightedly.

'In the living room, Uncle Javi needs room to hold onto her and be comfortable,' Ryan told his son, not at all surprised when Dell grabbed his fingers and tugged him towards the couch.

'Come on, come on, let's go.'

Esposito took his spot on the end of the couch and Tessi only fussed momentarily when she tasted the non-Mommy source of milk before her daddy spoke to her in a soothing voice; the sound of him had her settling right away and sucking down her dinner like it might be taken away from her.

'Good girl, eat up,' he murmured, stroking his fingertip over her cheek.

'I sure hope you don't to that to your mommy,' Ryan commented, arching an eyebrow at the way Tessi drank her milk down with such enthusiastic sucking. 'She'd be awfully sore, and that's no fun for Mommy or Daddy.'

'Well you would know what kind of fun we like from the free sneak-peek you got, right?' Esposito teased him and Ryan shook his head.

'No, I'm not reliving that moment of my life. Memory suppression is a very handy coping mechanism.'

Once Tessi was finished and burped, they retrieved her play-blanket from the nursery to stretch her out on the floor and watched with enthusiastic cheers as she rolled over onto her tummy, Esposito taking pictures of his little girl with her first boyfriend, until she began to yawn.

'Don' forget Cuh-rush,' Dell reminded him. 'She need some-thing cud-dell-ee. I have rex, she has Cuh-rush.'

'I won't forget.' Chatting at his daughter about her first play-date with a boy, Tessi was almost asleep before Esposito put her in her crib. He kissed her forehead and took the monitor downstairs with him.

'Okay Dell, now it's time for Legos.'

'Yea!' He clapped his hands and wasn't at all frustrated when his dad showed him how to make the characters move and hit and jump. 'You go this way,' he said to the screen. 'Like that?'

An hour later, when Dell had grown tired of his Lego-man, Ryan and Esposito opted for _Guardians of Valhalla 9_, one of Meredeth's favourites when Dell was suddenly squirming.

'Daddy, I need-a pee.'

'Oh, go upstairs, Dell, we're getting new taps for the one down here,' Esposito told him.

'You can go on your own, buddy?' Ryan asked.

'Uh-huh, I be back soon.'

Dell raced upstairs and Ryan shook his head. 'He's finally gotten the hang of it, though I suppose I shouldn't complain, as the books say it's harder to train a boy than a girl.'

But ten minutes later, Dell still hadn't returned, and when Ryan stood up to go retrieve his son, they heard his voice come through on the baby monitor.

'Tessi, silly girl, why you awake? You want a story? I like stories. Don't forget Cuh-rush.'

There was some movement around in the room and Esposito recognized the sounds of a chair being shoved, pages being flipped.

'I learnin' to read, so I don' know all the words.'

Downstairs, the front-door opened and Meredeth came in, a leftovers box in her hands and a smile on her face.

'Hey guys,' she started, but was shushed by the two NYPD homicide officers crowded around the baby monitor.

'Mere, this is too cute,' Esposito breathed to her, giving her a kiss and squeeze hello.

'What...' she trailed off when she heard Dell's voice coming through the monitor along with Tessi's pleased gurgles.

'_And there were se-ven sis...sis-ters, and the yo-you-youn-just was Ar...Ar-ee-ell. She had a voh-voh-ice like no-on else.'_

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	19. First Shots

It was Friday morning of their weekend trip to the Hamptons and Meredeth was nervous as hell for more than one reason. Not only would tonight be the first time since March they would get to be together but they were also facing the first major trial as new parents - Tessi was in need of her first immunizations.

Hopefully, she thought, Tessi wouldn't be too terribly fussy about it. She'd heard conflicting reports from her friends on baby's first shots - Dell had been a screamer from the moment the doctor had swabbed his leg, while Carey had been in shock and waited to cry once it was completely done, while Rosie and Kelley had fallen asleep in their mother's arms and the pinch of needles had awoken them. Since Tessi wasn't so big on crying the way other babies did to get attention, Meredeth figured she'd fall somewhere around the Carey aspect of things.

'Babe? You two all set?' Esposito hollered from the bottom of the stairs. 'Artie's the car, the bags are packed for us and for Tessi, your purse is down here, the phones are charged, the garbage is out-'

'That killed the cat that ate the rat that lived in the house that Javi built?' she called back on a laugh and heard him chuckle.

'Wouldn't be in the house that Max built?'

'It's our house now, but I see your point,' Meredeth replied, walking downstairs with Tessi in her arms. 'You ready Tessi?'

'You gave her the Baby Tylenol like Cook suggested?'

'I did.' She pouted a little. 'Don't judge me if a cry a little, okay?'

'Not a chance. And same goes, okay?'

Meredeth nodded; she knew her husband's Achilles heel was her and now their baby in distress. 'I think we're good to go.'

'Excellent.'

Meredeth bundled Tessi into the car seat and sat beside her with Arturo on the other side, snuffling at his young mistress and letting out a little woof of approval. 'Hey, babe,' she asked Esposito when he was easing uptown on Eight Avenue. 'You think it'd be possible for Arturo to sit up in the front on the drive up?'

'Sure, he just hopped in there when I opened the door, so I figured he can move after we walk him once Tessi's appointment is done.'

'Okay. Yeah, Tessi needs her needles today, doesn't she? Can't have my precious gem getting sick, no.'

Esposito glanced in the rear-view mirror, smiling at his bride. He knew her chatter was to as much keep Tessi smiley and giggling as to ease her own nerves. Though she tried to play it cool, he knew she was terrified that Tessi would lose it when the assistant gave her the boosters.

They parked and cracked the window for Arturo; him being so well-trained he simply stretched out on the bench seat in the back and sighed his impatience about having to wait for the humans. The building for Fiona Cook's office was in the same as Harvey's right across from Saint Vincent's, but unlike Harvey, only did pediatric surgeries at the hospital and kept her regular appointments in the separate building.

The waiting room was bright and airy, with lots of educational posters and informative sheets on the walls. There was a small book rack and group of toys, though it looked like most of the parents brought their own. There was a cluster of little boys Meredeth recognized as two identical triplets and a fraternal one zooming Hot Wheels over the curves of the lounge chairs, while from his perspective

'Tessi Esposito?'

A male nurse called out Tessi's name at it took Esposito a moment to remember that was his daughter; this office they always addressed the patient, even if the patient couldn't hold her own head up without Mommy or Daddy's help. 'That's us,' he told Meredeth, and they went down the little corridor to the room, where a child-sized exam table waited. The tongue depressers were all multicoloured, as were the sticks of the cotton swabs. Like the waiting area, there were tonnes of posters on the walls, as well as an eye chart and a graphic of a male and female anatomies.

'I'm Loudon, and I'll be administering Tessi's shots today once Doctor Cook does her check-up, does she have any allergies you're aware of?'

'No, none that we know of.'

'Okay.' Loudon made a note in the chart. 'I'll draw a small vial of blood, to send for testing, so we can make sure she has no severe allergies or other conditions that should be addressed as soon as possible.'

'Okay.' Unsettled by the idea, Meredeth tightened her grip on Tessi a little more, shifted on her chair.

'Has she had the Baby Tylenol pre-emptively for her booster shots?' the nurse continued.

Esposito nodded, putting a supportive hand on Meredeth's leg. 'We gave her the drops right before Meredeth fed her this morning.'

'Excellent. Doctor Cook should be in shortly, so if you want to just lay Tessi on the exam bed, that'd be swell.'

Loudon left and Meredeth looked at her husband. 'He wants to draw her blood.'

'He's not Doctor Acula,' Esposito told her, using one of his favourite Mitch Hedberg jokes. 'He's a nurse doing his job, making sure our baby's healthy and doesn't end up like Dell did in the hospital.'

Meredeth flashed to the previous Hallowe'en when Dell had gone to a hypoglcaemic coma and shuddered. 'No, we definitely don't want that.'

Cook came in then, followed by Loudon, who arranged his syringes on the tray out of Tessi's line of vision. 'Hello Miss Esposito, how are you today,'the doctor said in a friendly voice. 'Today's going to be full of new things but don't get scared, okay, it's all to make sure you're doing just fine.'

She unfastened the snaps of Tessi's spring romper and blowing on the end of her stethoscope, moved it over her tummy; the feel of metal made Tessi's eyebrows scrunch up.

'I know, princess, that feels really funny, doesn't it,' Esposito crooned, stroking her small fuzzy head. 'Don't worry, it's all good.'

'Lungs are good and strong, no anomalies of the heart either.' Cook rubbed her fingers in small circles over the abdomen to checks for any irregularities, then pinched her skin, her arms and legs and cheeks. 'No signs of jaundice either. How often does she fill a diaper?'

'About ten to twelve a day, still.'

'Good, that's good.' Cook wiggled around Tessi's legs, and though it was a mystery to Meredeth exactly how professionally medical a procedure that was, she assumed a physician with Cook's credentials knew what she was doing. 'Joints are well-developed, and I can tell she's getting good tummy time.'

'Yes, we've just started that in the last two weeks or so.'

'A little early but it also means she'll probably learn to walk earlier than most as well.' Cook reached for her pen light, shone it in Tessi's eyes and nodded when the girl blinked and turned her head away. 'Eyes are good and healthy, and let's check the ears.'

Once she'd done the standard checkup, Cook left with instructions to make a second appointment at ten weeks, and the moment Meredeth and Esposito had been dreading was here.

'Okay, Meredeth, I'll get you to stay up near here head, and Daddy can stay here by her legs.'

Loudon ripped open the alcohol swab and before either adult could blink, he'd administered the first two shots. Tessi barely had time to suck in the breath to cry before the third one was done, and by the time she'd let out her first wail, Loudon was already putting on colourful fishy band-aids.

'There we are, my princess,' Meredeth murmured as Tessi continued to freak out. 'It's all done, you're all done and you're such a good girl.'

'I thought you were drawing blood today as well?' Esposito asked, as his wife picked the baby up to comfort her.

Loudon shook his head. 'Doc said it wasn't essential today, so we'll catch it on the next check-up for sure, since she only needs two needles next time.'

'Hear that, Tessi? You're just fine.' Meredeth jostled her daughter gently, standing up to move around while she spoke to her. Knowing she was her father's daughter, she began to sing a Beach Boys song, and sure enough, Tessi began to settle at feeling the vibrations of her mother's voice. 'There we go.'

'I'll see you out front to get your next appointment booked.' Loudon disposed of the sharps and gave them a moment to finish calming Tessi and redress her.

Alone now, Meredeth settled Tessi back on the exam bed. 'You were amazing, Tessiana, yes you were, you were a little superstar.' Beside her, she heard Esposito let out a shaky breath, and glancing over, saw he was in need of a few seconds to get himself together.

'Hands down, scariest thing I've ever heard, my daughter crying in despair like that.'

'Aw, it's okay. Here.' With Tessi all set to go and mostly calmed down, she leaned the baby close so Tessi's little lips bumped her daddy's cheek. 'A kiss to make it all better Daddy.'

'Thanks, Tessi-boo.' Esposito took Tessi in his arms while Meredeth picked up the baby bag and wrap, and her purse. 'Now the scary part is over, time for vacation!'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	20. First Vacation I

They made it out to the Hamptons shortly after three, owing to Meredeth's need to stop and feed Tessi, as well as her own need to pee. When they pulled in the driveway, stepped out of the car, the scent was absolutely wonderful - fresh ocean wind, long sweet grass and barbecue from somewhere. The house was just as charming as they remembered - the yellow mansion that looked like boxes stacked at odd angles with the large panel windows, white gingerbread edging and the wraparound porch. The house itself was on the sandy part of the shore with an expanse of beach, but leading off the driveway, there was a sudden sharp drop of grassy hill down to the infamous boathouse.

'See that place Tessi,' Meredeth murmured, pointing to the mini version of the main house, 'that's where Mommy and Daddy made you last summer. Now you get to spend your first vacation there.'

Looking around, she saw the other cars already in the driveway - Dave's snazzy Sting-Ray in Road-Runner blue, Honey-Milk's silver Hybrid and Castle's sleek black Lincoln Town Car - and felt a little pang that they were the last ones there, but then, she also knew that Lanie and Dave were Carey-less for the weekend so they could travel a little lighter. Lanie's father had wanted the weekend with his grandson and told his daughter and her hubby-to-be to have fun since she'd been so massively pregnant the previous year and hadn't even gotten to go away for the weekend. It was also the first time the two of them had gone away without Carey and knowing Lanie like she did, would be a little edgy even though her son was perfectly fine with his poppy.

'You want a hand with anything, babe?' she asked.

'No, you have Tessi, I'll get the cooler. We can deals with our bags later,' he replied, hauling the ice-chest of snacks up to the porch. The chatter of voices around the corner had Arturo bounding ahead and greeting the people there with sloppy appreciative kisses for their friends. Everyone was on the porch with various fruity drinks: Lanie and Dave on the porch railing, Beckett and Honey-Milk on the porch-rocker with Dell and Castle and Ryan over by the stairs leading to the beach.

'Hey big daddy!' Castle's smile was wide, like he'd had a few already. 'Lemme give you a hand with that.'

'Mama, lemme down, my baby is here.' Dell wiggled against his mother's embrace and when he went over to Tessi, he gave her sandaled foot a pat. 'Hello my Tessi, were you good for the doc-tor? Did she cuh-ry?' he asked Meredeth.

'A little, but only when it was all over because she didn't know what was going on.'

'We get to go suh-wimmin' today, on the boat. I learn to suh-wim with Mama.'

Beckett smiled at the toddler. He was an almost perfect blend of Ryan's charm and Honey-Milk's sweetness, and made her wonder just what traits her and Castle's babies would get when they decided to have their 'some'. 'We were waiting lunch on you, I think Dave is ready to chew off his own foot.'

'They're here now, so let's get that 'cue fired up,' he said, not missing a beat as he sent Arturo into canine delight with his gratuitous belly rubs'

'How did everything go at the doctor's office?' Honey-Milk went over to give Esposito a hand with the food they'd brought while Castle started up the grill. 'Did she cry?'

'After it was done. The nurse, Loudon, he was really good with her.'

'That good. She have band-aids?' Dell asked as Meredeth sat down on the swing and he boosted himself up beside her to examine his favourite person in the whole world. 'Tessi, do you have band-aids?'

'She does, and they have fishies on them.'

'Aw.' Dell rolled up his t-shirt sleeve, flexed his little arm. 'I have a band-aid too, Tessi. I got dinos.'

'You _have_ dinos, Dell,' Ryan corrected him. He was damn determined not to have a son who sounded like Ali G when he was growing up in South Central Manhattan. 'Mere, if he's bugging you, just ask him to leave you alone.'

'Oh no, he's fine.'

'Tessi goin' suh-wimmin' with us?' Dell asked. 'I have a water-wings because I am still learnin' to suh-wim.'

'Good idea, and no, honey, Tessi can't go swimming, she is too little.' As she said it, Meredeth realized she would be chillin' with the baby, the dog and Dave on the shore while the others all went off and did their thing in that cute little cove they'd discovered for swimming. Not that she would sulk about it, of course, but...okay, maybe a little; she loved swimming with her husband and her friends. 'Maybe next year, she'll be a lot bigger.'

'Okay. Daddy, when we goin' suh-wimmin'?'

'After lunch, we all need something to eat.'

To help prove this point, Dave stomach rumbled massively. 'And the sooner we do, the sooner we're on the water. All of us,' he added, with a sly grin at Lanie.

'Oh?' Beckett perked up.

'I've been taking swimming lessons. I know that sounds really ridiculous, but it was my New Year's resolution to go out on the water with you guys.' Dave slipped a hand around Lanie's waist, pulled her lightly towards him.

Esposito, having disappeared with Castle into the kitchen to get the various types of burgers for the grill, reappeared in time to catch the end of Dave's little speech. 'Why did you never learn?'

'I learned as a kid, and when I was six I nearly drowned so it put me off water sports for a long time. But I want to learn so Carey won't grow up with that fear.'

'Fair enough.'

'Which reminds me.' Dave disappeared into the house and emerged a few minutes later with a tot-sized life-jacket. 'This is a little present from me to Tessi.'

Meredeth grinned. 'A baby PFD? Where'd you find this?'

'I asked my swim coach, he said they make them for all sizes now and hooked me up. Said I had a friend who'd just had a baby and she loves the water, and don't want her stuck on shore while we're all out having fun.'

'Thanks, man, that's really cool.' Esposito and Dave fed the birds; he'd been worried about how they'd all get to go out on the water, but it appeared his friend had also thought of it and made a lovely gesture for them. 'Okay, let's get food going, who wants what?'

When they had their fill of barbecue and salad and fruit, and they'd waited the appropriate length of time for Dell's sake, they'd changed into their swim gear and headed out on the boat. Meredeth had smeared baby-grade sunblock on Tessi's arms and legs with some help from Dell, and Castle had put a large umbrella in the boat so that they could have some shade for the little one so she wouldn't get sick. The cooler was filled with ice cold water and Gatorade, and of course there was a camera floating around, so they would all have great pictures of Tessi's first boat-ride.

They dropped anchor in their little cove, and Ryan as usual was the first one in with a giant canon-ball; he was followed by Lanie and Castle, and Beckett opted for a graceful dive. No one mocked Dave when he opted to use the ladder, or the fact he was wearing a life jacket similar to Tessi's in style and colour, because no one in this group judged, Meredeth had learned. They'd kick your ass when they thought you were being an idiot but casting stones wasn't their MO.

'You want to bring her in, or are you cool being our lifeguard right now?' Esposito asked her, running his hand over Tessi's head. He felt a little bit like the kid who didn't finish his Brussels sprouts and still got to have ice cream even after his parents said no. He loved being a father and felt like a real asshole that he was getting to have fun while Meredeth was the responsible parent who stayed with the baby.

'I'm cool with being a life guard.'

'Why don't we trade off in like twenty minutes?'

'Sounds good. We'll take lots of pictures of you guys.'

'Even better. Oh, and...' He leaned in close to her so only she would hear. 'Lanie and Dave said they'd keep Tessi in their room tonight, bottles and all if we wanted a little privacy for one night, so we can be as loud as we want.'

Meredeth's insides fluttered as she caught the glint in his eye, and she nodded. 'Not even the whole night, maybe like a few hours.'

'You can pump out before we have our alone time, right, make up a few bottles for Tessi?'

'Yeah.' Torn between wanting to stay with her baby and spend a quality worry-free night with her husband, Meredeth bounced Tessi in her arms a little.

'Hey!' Castle called from the water. 'Save the lovin' for when you don't have an audience and get in here, Esposito!'

'In a minute!'

'It's okay, Javi,' Meredeth told him, and gave him a lingering kiss, her tongue nipping at his top lip. 'Twenty minutes, but tonight, it's going to take longer.'

'I hope so.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	21. First Love

The new parents managed to tear themselves away from their baby but not before Meredeth put Tessi to bed herself in the overnight bassinet set up in Lanie and Dave's room. It would be moved into the boathouse the next day, but for tonight, it was there to give the new parents a little romantic privacy.

'I liked that they weren't stubborn about us kissing Tessi goodnight. Makes it feel like the walk from the boathouse to the main house is just an extended hallway,' Esposito said as he and Meredeth entered their own quarters.

'Well, it helps they're all parents too.' Meredeth slipped off her sandals and went over to the bed, sat down. She watched as her husband found a box of matches and lit some of the candles they'd brought with them and set out, to give the open space some ambiance. A few minutes later, there was soft music on the stereo with one of Meredeth's favourite songs - Touch Me from _Spring Awakening_, a somehow perfectly appropriate song for tonight.

Esposito looked at his wife, who watched him with nervous anticipation. He understood her nerves; her body had changed since giving birth and he knew she was worried about how she would feel to him. But for the detective, being able to make love with his wife was the prize tonight and anything else was bonus. He went over to her, pulling her to her feet.

'Meredeth Dakkars, I love you.'

'I love you too, Javier Jimeno.'

'Let me show you.'

He kissed her, softly, deeply, the kind meant to stir the juices just to the point of arousal so that every added touch would bring her body to life even more for him. He ran his hands under her shirt, around to her stomach which was still the same silky-smooth texture he'd loved from the first time he'd touched it. With careful hands, he flipped open each button then slid it off her shoulders, tossed it aside. He saw the sturdy black nursing bra she was wearing and though he knew her breasts were still somewhat out of bounds, he could still touch and squeeze them. When he slid one strap down, then the other, he felt her stiffen in apprehension.

'You know there's a chance I might leak, right?'

'I know. I don't care. I want to be naked with you.'

Touched by his passionate conviction, Meredeth reached behind her back and flipped the hook and eyes on her bra, let it fall away. 'You make me feel so beautiful, Javi,' she murmured. 'I love you.'

'Love you too.'

Then their bodies were close once again, as Meredeth tugged his shirt over his head and she ran her hands over that gorgeous body, so tough and disciplined; it occasionally made her wonder how someone with her figure turned him on, but this was not one of those times. All she could register was the feel of his muscles, the pound of his heart under her hands as she kissed him again and this time shoved at his shorts so he stood naked in front of her, already beginning to harden. He tugged on the draw-strings of her skirt and slipped it over her hips, followed by her panties so they were, as both wanted to be, naked and caressing one another.

'Mere,' Esposito murmured, 'we've got all night. This first time I want it nice and slow.'

'Me too.'

Their lips met once more and when they tumbled to the bed with her underneath him Meredeth shifted her thighs apart, thrill erupting in bubbles under her skin as she felt him there, his hard against her softness. His hands were everywhere on her body, her hips, her torso, up to her breasts which he squeezed gently; because she was nursing, he couldn't use his tongue as liberally as he usually did so instead traced it in a long line in the valley between her breasts while he gently squeezed and massaged them. Meredeth arched her back off the bed, into his touch, her hips thrusting against his in a way so he groaned in pleasure. He knew her body, even with the changes it was still experiencing, and a touch here, a kiss there, was as amazing as it was the first time he'd touched and tasted her.

Esposito closed his eyes as Meredeth moved beneath him, each little wriggle and shudder making him want her more and more. Skin so smooth and tasty, her beautiful breasts, her long legs, there wasn't an ounce of her he didn't love. He smiled, stroked her face as he rolled her on top of him before he remembered what was in his shaving kit - the travel-sized bottle of Glide in the lime-basil scent. Esposito had been told by both Ryan and Dave a little booster like that might be necessary, but once more, all he cared about was being intimate with his wife. Now, he cursed inwardly in frustration as he remembered where it was.

'Mere, I need to grab something out of my bag.'

'You mean this?' She held up the bottle and smiled at him. 'I already unpacked it.'

'This is why we're such a great pair.' Esposito grinned as he rolled her once more, flipped open the top for the cool gel, then gently as a man seducing his virgin bride, slipped the moistened fingers between her thighs and began to stroke her. His blood sang as he heard her strangled sigh and he slipped one inside her; she made his head swim madly when she whimpered in delight as he pleasured her, finding her trigger and running the pad of his finger over it. Stars cartwheeled inside Meredeth's skull as he did so, he could tell from the glaze in her eyes. It still thrilled and humbled him that so fine a woman let him love her so sweetly and intimately.

'Javi, now.' She moaned it, sliding a hand down his chest to find him hot and hard as granite for her. Taking him in her hand, she positioned him above her slick entrance. 'Please, my love, now.'

'Yes, my love.' With the feel of her breath on his cheek, Esposito slipped inside her; when she made that glorious little 'oh', he kissed her fiercely as he began to move inside her and she matched him with each thrust of her hips.

'Mere,' he groaned, 'you feel so fuckin' good.'

The dirty words coming out of his mouth made her even hotter for him, if that were somehow possible. She dug her fingernails into his back to pull him close. 'Don't stop, Javi, just like that.'

She was making no effort to stay quiet and neither was he now. Each stroke they grew louder and louder, as Meredeth felt that beautiful friction build inside, the energy coiling tighter and tighter until she was certain she'd explode from the tension when it blew through her like a thunderstorm, making her shudder as she cried out for him.

'Javi.' It was part plea for more, part pledge to him. 'Yes.'

Such simple words nearly made Esposito lose his mind and follow her over, but he kept his pace constant as he kissed her deeply, holding her close as he drove her up again, and this time she all but sobbed it out that she was coming as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

'Love you, Mere,' he managed to get out.

'Love you too, Javi.'

It was the last conscious thought he had before his body trembled and exploded into oblivion.

Chests heaving and backs dewed with sweat, Esposito collapsed on top of his wife with a satisfied, 'Oh yeah, Mere, that's the stuff,' making her laugh.

'You're telling me.'

He turned his face so he kissed her shoulder, her neck, then rolled to his side with his hand on her hip so she faced him on her side as well. 'I didn't...you know, hurt you?'

'No.' Meredeth put her hand to his cheek in reassurance. 'It was nothing but hell yeah.'

'Hell yeah?'

'Hell...yeah.' She snuggled closer to him, hooked her leg over his hip; it was such a comfortable position for her. 'Hell fuckin' yeah.'

Esposito grinned; he loved when his Meredeth got in touch with that naughty side he knew she had in spades. 'So that was round one tonight. What else do you think we can get up to tonight?'

'Why don't we take a nice warm shower together? Clean up a little?'

'Clean up?'

She pointed to her breasts. 'I leaked a little bit, but you didn't exactly notice.' Then, she made him feel like a god when she leaned in and whispered in his ear, 'When you're inside me, baby, I can't even remember my own name.'

'Uhh...' was all his lust-for-his-Danish-angel-addled brain could come up with, but thankfully Meredeth kissed him so sweetly, it somehow kick-started it for him. 'So if this is going to be a regular occurrence for us when you have an orgasm while you're nursing, what is a solution we can come up with?'

'For this weekend, I can wear my bikini top, it's designed to handle moisture well.'

'Good idea. Plus,' he added using the same she had, 'Not being completely naked makes me want to hear you scream for me even more.'

Now it was Meredeth's brain to be lust-fried. 'Come on big boy, why don't we go get cleaned up and then get dirty again?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy!


	22. First Vacation II

'Who's that right there? Is that Mommy?'

'Hi, baby.'

Meredeth grinned when she saw Tessi gurgling and cooing contentedly in Dave's arms as Meredeth and Esposito walked into the kitchen from the porch. It was Saturday morning and after a night of hot, passionate sex with Esposito, she was rested and relaxed and couldn't wait to hold her daughter. Holding out her arms, Meredeth's smile widened when Tessi cuddled up against her, giving her daddy who was standing beside Meredeth a gummy smile herself. 'Has she been fed yet?' she asked and Dave shook his head.

'No, she just woke up about ten minutes ago, and Lanie was still sleeping so I brought her down here with me. But we put on a fresh nappie before we came down to the kitchen, she'd filled her diaper like a champ in her sleep,' Dave informed them as Meredeth walked around the kitchen island with Tessi in her arms before stopping beside Esposito. '

'That sounds like my girl,' Esposito told her, flicking his finger down her nose and making her sneeze. As she scented mommy now, Tessi began to squirm and before she could send up a true wail, Meredeth took her into the living room for some privacy to feed her. 'You're up early, man,' he observed, since it was just after seven.

'Beckett and I are on breakfast patrol today, but I'm usually an early riser anyways.' Dave poured Esposito a coffee. 'And having a son who's teething has given Lanie some sleepless nights, so I'm letting her rest.'

'Wow. He's getting so big, huh?'

'One year on June seventh, can you believe that?'

'Dell's going to be three in July, and my niece is just turned two on the eleventh.' Esposito sipped the coffee Dave passed him. 'But nothing makes the time fly like planning a wedding.'

'New Year's Eve is seven months away, and we're not even doing a really big thing-'

'Trust me, I've been through it. You're going to wake up tomorrow and it'll be December thirtieth, or it's going to feel that way.'

'I could marry her tomorrow. She's my Elenia.'

Esposito smiled, clinked his cup against Dave's; he'd felt the same way about Meredeth. He glanced towards the living room where he could hear the murmur of his wife's voice and he unconsciously rubbed his thumb over his wedding ring. 'It will feel scary as hell, the waiting on the day of, but trust me, once you see her in her dress, it's like the whole world is just her.'

There was footsteps on the stairs and a few seconds later, Honey-Milk, Dell and Beckett were in the room, Dell tugging impatiently on his mother's hand while Beckett snagged coffee from the pot. Esposito watched his boss in particular, the way she poured a glass of juice for Dell when his mother went to check on Meredeth. More and more, he noticed she'd been getting that soft look in her eyes he saw in Meredeth's whenever the topic of her baby came up, and it made Esposito wonder a little if Castle and Beckett, who'd been married almost a year, were planning to add some little Cas-Becks of their own to the second generation of the Twelfth Precinct. Or at least, if they were trying to.

The siren pull of his baby had him taking his coffee into the living room, where indeed his bride was nursing with a blanket draped over her.

Meredeth looked up at him and smiled with such serene calm, Esposito felt like he should kneel and pray at her feet. She looked positively exquisite, just as beautiful as their wedding day and as beautiful as the night before when she'd trembled in his arms.

'I just switched her to the other side,' she told him, 'she always likes to start on the left and then go to the right.'

'Funny little thing. I'll burp her when you're done, so you can grab some juice or tea.'

'Okay.'

'Mama, my baby suh-till eatin'?' Dell wandered in, sippy cup in one hand and rex with the band-aid in the other. 'She suh-till have band-aids?'

'Yes, she's still eating and she still has her band-aids,' Honey-Milk, turning him around when she saw Meredeth pass the baby to Esposito to give her friend a little privacy and to make sure her son didn't see anything inappropriate. She let him turn back around once Meredeth passed her husband the blanket and he put it on his shoulder to burp Tessi. 'There, now she's done and Javi's helping her get the bubbles out of her tummy.'

'Like a fuh-rog?'

'Something like that.' Honey-Milk shook her head when her son went over and gave Tessi a little rap on the back.

'Okay, Mama, I help. Now it is time for buh-reak-fast. Auntie Katie cookin'?'

'Yes we are having waffles.'

Esposito watched them go, still patting Tessi's back and snickered when he heard the little puff of air escape her lips. 'Pop goes perfection,' he told her, kissing her cheek as he stood up. 'Let's go find Mommy.'

The two Espositos wandered into the kitchen to find Meredeth talking with Lanie and Dave about wedding stuff at the kitchen table while Dell and Honey-Milk ate fruit at the island. Ryan and Castle had finally made their appearance and were helping Beckett get their breakfast ready.

'Hey, big daddy, how's the little princess this morning?'

'Burping like a bullfrog, and now she's ready to visit,' he replied proudly, catching the beam of Meredeth's smile in the corner of his eye as he walked into the cooking area for Castle and Ryan to nuzzle at Tessi's cheek.

'Hello, sunshine,' the writer cooed. 'You have a good breakfast?'

'I was just telling Meredeth Tessi was an angel last night, Javier,' Lanie told him from the table, watching the way her friend showed off his little girl. 'You guys are so lucky, and she's such a good sleeper. You think about a sneeze and Carey's awake.'

'After hypnotherapy, you could have a military parade in our bedroom and she wouldn't hear it. And yet, Tessi sighs on the baby monitor and she's up like a Jill-in-the-box,' Esposito concluded, unable to hide his giddy new fatherhood when Tessi giggled at Ryan's tickling.

Beckett shook her head as she flipped pancakes, put the done ones into a glass baking dish on the warming plate. 'So after we finish eating, some volleyball on the beach, and we can all take turns keeping an eye on the babies.'

'I am not a ba-by, I am a big boy,' Dell piped up around a mouthful of sliced peaches.

Ryan pointed his bacon-flipping spatula at his son. 'Swallow first, then talk young man. Good boy,' he added when Dell gulped down his fruit and repeated himself. 'And you're right, you're a big boy, but you are still little in size and we want to make sure you stay safe.'

'I suh-tay with my Tessi, I make sure she suh-tay safe. Right, Un-kell Javi?'

'That's exactly right.'

* * *

Breakfast done, dishes tidied, they found their beachwear and set up the volley-ball net; Meredeth had Tessi in her arms, wrapped in a UV protective blanket and smeared with sunscreen while Castle set up the humongous red and white striped umbrella that provided an almost ten foot diameter of shade for them.

'I help.' Dell had taken off his sandals and was stretching out his towel that he'd gotten at Beckett and Castle's wedding and was pulling out his dinosaur toys from his little beach bag. He also pulled out his beloved stuffed t-rex out and set it apart form the other toys, before looking over at Tessi's baby seat.

'Where is Cuh-rush? She don' like him?' he asked with a small wobble in his voice.

'She loves her turtle, but we don't want it to get dirt on it being outside.'

'I have rex out-side.'

'Yes, but you are also a lot bigger than Tessi, she doesn't have an immune system built up.'

'What's a moon sys-tem?'

'_Im_-mune system, it's the tiny tiny tiny things inside our blood that keep us from getting germs.'

'Oh.' Dell thought about it, then put his rex beside Tessi's baby seat. 'This can be her moon-sys-tem right now. He is big and suh-cary, he chase away germs.'

'Hey.' Esposito, now shirtless and in his swim trunks, walked under the umbrella and gave Meredeth a kiss on the lips, which had Dell letting out a long _ewww_ and making him laugh. 'Dell, I can assure you in about ten to twelve years, that won't be your reaction to kissing.'

'Nuh-uh.'

'You going to be my cheerleader?' Esposito asked Meredeth, adding in a whisper after she nodded, 'If I score the winning point, do I get to score with you later?'

'Even if you don't score a single one, you will still get with this cheerleader.'

'Good. Tessi, you're in charge of bribing the officials,' he told his little girl, kissing her forehead before giving Meredeth one last smooch.

'Love you Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

Meredeth giggled and as she looked over, saw her husband set himself for an overhand serve while she cuddled their baby girl close, and felt a small moment of perfection.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	23. First Day Back

On Tuesday morning, Esposito awoke with his alarm to find Meredeth stepping out of the ensuite, clearly having just finished a shower as she tied her damp hair into a pony-tail.

'Morning Detective,' she said to him as he sat up, stretching skywards before he scratched his stomach. 'You all set to go back to work?'

'I think so.'

'It's gong to feel funny to have the house to myself with Tessi and the dog.'

'It'll fly by before you know it.'

'I know, and even still...' Meredeth trailed off as he stood up, crossed over to her to give her a spicy good-morning kiss. 'I forgot what I was saying.'

'Good. Perhaps you'll forget even more later tonight.'

'Oh yes I will.'

'Can you put my suit on the bed? The grey one with the white shirt and the purple striped tie?'

'You got it.'

Meredeth watched him walk into the ensuite with his towel and felt a little shiver that was part nerves, part excitement. She knew how much he was looking forward to going back to work, though not because he wanted to get away from them both; he just loved his job almost as much as her and Tessi. With a quick snoop in his side of the closet, she found his suit and tie he requested, and had just finished tying the Windsor knot for him when she heard Tessi gurgling through the monitor for her breakfast.

'Okay, okay, princess,' she said, entering the nursery, 'Mommy's coming.'

Tessi kicked her legs excitedly and gave Meredeth a gummy grin when she was picked up, and Meredeth changed her diaper before they settled into the comfy armchair so Tessi could have her breakfast. She'd started eating a little faster, now that she was getting bigger, and while she was eating properly, the time it took for her to latch on and get her fill was slowly but steadily starting to decrease.

'Drink up, baby girl, we want to make sure we can say bye-bye to Daddy as he goes off to catch all the bad guys to make sure the Big Apple stays safe for you and Dell and Rosie and Kelley and Carey.'

Tessi, it seemed, had master timing, for she'd finished one side just when the water in the ensuite shower shut off; by the time she'd finished with the other, and was ready for a burp, her daddy walked into the nursery fully dressed, badge pin on his lapel and the real thing hooked on his belt. His grin was quick and cocky as he did a little model's turn.

'How do I look? Like a cop with the loves of his life waiting for him to come home after shift safe and sound?'

'And a very stylin' one at that, too. Ah, we have liftoff,' Meredeth giggled when she heard the pop of Tessi's burp. 'Come on. Let's go downstairs and get Daddy his breakfast.'

They ate together, a rarity since Meredeth wasn't exactly a morning person and Esposito often got called to scenes before six am, so he savoured the early morning tranquility while it lasted. She'd done up some pancakes, holding with his theory that pancakes were the edible way to say 'thank you _so_ much for last night'. Meredeth had most definitely thanked him for that sweet and tender loving with her own very naughty triple-x mouth on his body. Now it was time to put away the playful sex-bomb Javi who'd romped naked with his wife the night before in between their daughter's feeding needs to be Detective Esposito, respected Homicide detective and upholder of the laws of the city, state and country.

He smiled when his girls followed him to the door, and he discreetly holstered his weapon; for all her comfort and pride of his being a cop, the one thing that flipped Meredeth more than anything was the reality of his service pistol being in the house. He always kept it locked in the drawer of the table behind the couch, and his clutch piece secured in his bedside table yet in all their time together Meredeth had never asked once to hold it, even with no ammunition in the magazine. Maybe it was because he'd been shot, or maybe something else entirely, but whatever the reason, Esposito always made sure it was the last thing he did before he kissed her good-bye and left for work.

'Alright, my beautiful princess and my queen, Daddy's gotta go make the big bucks chasing bad guys. Gimme one for good luck.' He tapped his chin under his lips and smiled against Meredeth's mouth when it met his. 'And you too, little miss Tessi-boo.'

Meredeth held Tessi up so her lips bumped against Esposito's. 'Give us a call when you're on your way home.'

Esposito smiled, then jogged down the stairs with his bag in hand to Ryan's waiting Crown Vic. He slid into the passenger seat, having tossed his bag in the back, and he bumped knuckles with his partner.

'Welcome back, big daddy,' Ryan said dryly with a smile. 'I just picked up a call.'

'Let's ride.'

* * *

The body they'd tagged was in a well-populated family area, which had both cops correctly guessing there would be plenty of shoe leather burned in talking to neighbours. Even in the early hour of the morning, there were already more Lookie-Lous than was healthy for them to maintain some dignity. As he stepped out of the car, Esposito recognized Geoffs in his sharply pressed uniform keeping them back and obviously waiting to escort the investigative officers into the crime scene.

'Hey, Detective Esposito, glad to see you back, sir,' he said, holding open the door of the building for them. 'Before we get to the body, can I ask a question?'

'You can, but whether you get an answer depends on the question.'

'You know anyone in the jewellery business? I want to get my girl something nice for our ten months together and I've seen the bling in your lady's Twitter photos, thought you might have a little advice.'

'Sure. Go to Tiffany's, ask for Francesca and tell her I sent you.'

'Thanks, sir. Here we are.' Geoffs lifted the tape he'd strung over the door and let them inside, pointing to where the woman, a hefty brunette in her polar-fleece bathrobe was chest-down on the carpet, her face turned towards the television set which was obscenely blaring infomercials. 'May I?' he asked, holding up the remote.

'Of course.'

Geoffs switched off the set and gave them his first-on-scene report. 'Jacinda Plank, thirty-five of this address,' he stated, reading off of his notes, 'she's a French teacher over at Irving Dietrich Academy, fancy Upper West Side private school. Lived alone, had a casual boyfriend and some close girlfriends. One of them called her neighbour, Susan Merrick, when they tried to contact her last night and there was no answer. The friend thought she might have slept through her phone but couldn't shake the bad vibe so she had the neighbour use her spare key.'

'Very thorough, Geoffs,' Ryan observed. 'You angling for your shield?'

'Practicing and studying for the next exam. Incoming,' he added, before wisely shutting his mouth.

'What-' Esposito started, then like Geoffs, cut himself off when he heard Perlmutter's unmistakably sour-greeting.

'What real New Yorker gives a damn about their neighbours?' he groused, slurping lemonade through a straw in a take-out cup. 'Got my ass out of bed on my vacation, no less. Thank god Lanie's coming back from her baby holiday in less than a month, she can pick up some of the slack.'

'Yes sir.' It was all Ryan dared to say, as he knew the crusty old barnacle of Doctor Sidney Perlmutter had a soft, sticky spot under his cast-iron shell for the only female ME in his purview. 'I'll hang here, get the details, Esposito why don't you follow up with the neighbour, Ms. Merrick.'

Esposito nodded. It was good to be back.

* * *

By eleven, he was once again at his desk at the station, and a little surprised to see he had no backlog of paper work on cases left open when he'd gone on leave. Good command and friends who had your back most definitely paid off when you were a cop. His computer fired up and logged into the network, Esposito began running the names of Jacinda's boyfriends as well as her own data to see if anything popped on why someone would want to murder a harmless schoolteacher whose biggest legal infraction, it seemed, was a bad parking ticket habit.

'Here we are, one mocha latte for you, and one for me.' Castle, ever the effervescent one, passed Esposito the fancy coffee in his Mister Lady Hawk mug, . 'So first morning back, how was it to leave the wife and kid at home?'

'A little weird, but good too. Can't wait to see them tonight.'

'A very normal feeling. I worked from home raising Alexis and it has its challenges, but then, I was also doing it on my own so it was an entirely different flavour.'

'Welcome back Detective.' Beckett strolled over, nipping the coffee from her husband's hands. The movement had her wedding rings winking on her hand. 'Where are we on the friends' alibis?'

Once Esposito had given Beckett an update, Castle bumped the edge of his own mug against the blue porcelain of Esposito's. 'Yep, just like it was yesterday.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	24. First Father's Day

'Javi?'

'Yeah babe?'

'Bring the camera in here, babe.'

Esposito, who'd been in bed finishing going over case notes, tugged off his reading glasses - he was finally used to them, and loved the slightly-drooly look his wife got when he wore them - and followed Meredeth's voice into the nursery. He smiled when he saw Meredeth standing by Tessi's crib; in the crib itself, Tessi was on her tummy and stretching up, so her fuzzy little head was lifted a good three inches off the padding of her bed. Wrapping an arm around Meredeth's waist, he held her close as Tessi lowered her head back down and then raised it up again.

'Look at you go, Tessi!' He proudly snapped the photos of his girl as she kicked her legs and smiled at the praise. 'You're going to be very sleepy after all that.'

'She's doing her exercises because she knows that Mommy and Daddy want a little bit of time to themselves before Father's Day tomorrow.'

'You'd think she'd be tired after having been at Carey's birthday party today and being a little social butterfly with Dell Ryan.'

Meredeth shook her head. 'Should I be concerned? She's a little young to date.'

'Nah, I don't think so. Now, if he sends her chocolate or flowers, we may have to sit down and ask his intentions.'

Tessi interrupted their pondering by screwing up her face into a sneeze. Meredeth stepped in to help Tessi roll to her back, tucking Crush in beside her while Esposito dimmed the lights for her.

'Goodnight princess,' he murmured. 'Daddy loves you very much.'

'Mommy loves you too,' Meredeth added after Esposito had kissed Tessi goodnight, and she leaned in for her own kiss from her daughter. 'Night-night sweetheart.'

Making sure her turtle was nearby and Arturo had parked himself on the floor by Tessi's crib, the parents tucked their baby in for the night, then headed into their own bedroom. When they'd closed the door, Meredeth pressed her body up against Esposito's and laid her lips on his The noise of surprise in his throat was replaced by a happy little hum.

'You feel like a game of cops and robbers?'

'Depends,' he teased her, though both knew they could have easily satisfied themselves against the bedroom door. 'How far do the limits of interrogation extend?'

'As far as you want.'

Esposito felt the blood drain south as he dipped his head to kiss her again, pulling her hips against his so she could feel his want and need for her. His brow knit together in part irritation, part anticipation as she leaned back a little.

'Mere-'

'I picked up a little something to wear for you, so let me go put it on, okay? Then,' she purred, tracing her fingertip down his chest to the tab of his jeans zipper, 'you can have as much fun as you want taking it off me.'

'Since it's Father's Day tomorrow, I suppose that means it's all about me, and what I want,' he said back in that husky whisper, separating his words with sticky, lingering kisses on the smooth sweet column of her throat, 'is you...hot...and...naked...underneath...beside...and on top of me.'

'You got it, babe. I love you.'

'I love you.'

Meredeth gave him one more sizzling kiss before pulling a bag out of the bottom drawer of her bureau from Sizzling Stork, then headed to the ensuite. 'Oh, Javi, have a look in the toy box, there's something in there I think you'll like.'

Knowing his woman knew his taste in the bedroom well, Esposito stripped off his pants and t-shirt so he was naked when he pulled the white plastic bin out from underneath Meredeth's side of the bed. Stretched on his stomach he flipped open the lid and grinned when he saw the new bottle of edible massage oil. They'd used up their other ones in their pre-green light intimacies and he'd rediscovered just how much nothing more than erotic touch of the hands could do to turn them both on; he'd even given his beautiful Meredeth a couple of mind-blowing orgasms from the acts alone, as she had him. That kind of love, he knew, was rare and precious, and meant more to him than anything in the world.

He'd opened the lid and sniffed at the fragrance - island citrus - when the door to the ensuite opened and he saw her walk towards him, and everything else in the universe was gone. There was only his wife, in sexy black silk and lace. It was a merry-widow that displayed her beautiful breasts and flattered her post-baby belly he knew still made her a little self-conscious though all he saw was the gorgeous body that had housed and birthed their child. She'd skipped stockings with garters and instead wore lace-topped thigh-high stay ups, which made him wonder if she'd even bothered putting on panties at all.

'Wow.'

'You like?' she asked in a sultry tone as he rose up on his knees on the end of the bed.

'I like. And I love you Meredeth Dakkars Esposito.'

'I love you too, Javier Jimeno Esposito.'

He kissed her, pulling her down on top of him, and felt himself hardened at a brutal rate when she ground her hips against his and he discovered he was right - she had skipped the bottoms underneath the body-hugging lingerie. 'You naughty girl.'

'I'm your naughty girl, and you can have me any way you want.'

'Let's start with this one.' He held up the bottle of massage oil and flipping her onto her back so she was under neath him, he put just enough space between them to dab a single line of the oil up the length of her thigh all the way to her center. 'And see what kind of trouble we can get into.'

* * *

The next morning, Esposito awoke early, which wasn't surprising but he woke alone, which was. Meredeth often fed Tessi early and then came back to bed when he had the day off or was on call. But then again, today was Father's Day and he was the center of attention. He figured she would be up to something, after all, she had that special knack for-

His thoughts were interrupted when the door to the bedroom opened and Meredeth appeared with a breakfast tray in her hands and the scent of bacon and waffles along with coffee and fruit hit him like a most-welcome Mack Truck.

'Happy Father's Day, Javi,' she said, 'you get a total day of daddy pampering, starting with breakfast in bed.'

'I thought we already got started with that last night, in bed.'

'And guess how we'll finish the day off?' she told him with a saucy wink that had him grinning even more. 'For your first daddy's day breakfast, you've got bacon, chocolate chip waffles, berry salad, coffee, and this.' She set the tray over his lap, then kissed him, long and full, the kind that made him want to spend all day in bed with her. But Meredeth had other ideas first, he was certain and like she said, they could finish their day off like they'd started it the night before with sizzling one on one time.

'I'll be right back, there's a little miss just dying to see you.'

She hadn't even left the room and Esposito was digging in; apparently he'd been in need of that extra sleep since going back to work a few weeks before. As he ate, he took stock of it all - he was married, almost three years now, to the best woman in the universe and they'd made not only made a life with each other, but made a life together in the form of their two-month old baby girl and it was a toss up as to who loved who more - Tessi or Esposito. He was a provider for his family, and he and Meredeth had even started up a little college trust and savings for Tessi. He was a good cop, a damn good one, with a partner he loved like a brother, had friends that had become another family to him. He had everything that he could possibly dream of.

Life absolutely did not suck.

'Here we are.' Meredeth appeared with Tessi expertly cradled in one arm as she ran the video camera with the other to catch him pigging out on pig-meat and waffles. 'It's Javi's first Father's Day and here's the reason he gets the royal treatment today.'

With bended knees, Meredeth scooted Tessi onto the bed beside Esposito and he set his knife and fork down, adjust the lap-top table so he could cuddle his girl against his cheek. 'Hello, my princess, hi. Hi. You ready to help me with my presents?'

'She says, of course Daddy, Mommy and I were busy shopping online, don't you know.'

'She likes the bright colours, I think, and the books say talking to her about what you are doing is good for her development.'

Esposito kissed her cheek again and Tessi let out a big sneeze before giving him a wide smile. 'Oh, bless you darling. Such a wallop for a little thing. Now what about those presents you helped Mommy buy?'

'She says, Daddy, we hid them downstairs, you have to follow the clues to get to them.'

'Well, then, Miss Tessi Hawkins, let's go find us some treasure.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	25. First Solo Trip

'Okay, Miss Tessi-boo, we have our diaper bag, Mommy's purse, the list, and our grocery sacks, don't we? Let's get us some eats.'

Meredeth chattered away at Tessi as she put her daughter into the car seat on top of the grocery cart, her purse in the basket space beside her. It was a momentous occasion for her - she and Tessi were taking their first solo trip out of the house just the two of them. Esposito was going to be home after working a double and had given her a kiss when he'd gotten home just as she was coming out of the house with the baby.

She'd adjusted Tessi into her seat and was shoving the cart around the produce isles, focused between her child and her errand.

'Raspberries, raspberries,' she murmured. 'Tessi, where did you hide the raspberries?'

Tessi's response was to kick her legs a little and track the source of Mommy's voice as Meredeth oscillated between picking up fresh fruit and her. 'You're right, Meredeth continued. 'Raspberries aren't even on sale this week, but blackberries are, and we know Daddy likes those in his iced tea don't we? Yes we do. And we're going to make him some when we get home because Daddy's had a busy few days.'

'Hey, girl!'

Meredeth glanced over, saw Lanie coming up behind her with a shopping cart full of leafy green vegetables and her son. 'Hey Lanie! Tessi, look who it is, it's Lanie and Carey.'

'Hi Tizzy!' Carey waved cheerfully. He was wearing a Canadiens t-shirt with his little blue khakis and sandals, and his dual-coloured eyes were bright as jewels. 'Tizzy big, Mama.'

'Yes, she certainly is growing fast, isn't she?'

'So is this one.' Meredeth gave Carey a friendly little wave. 'He's a year old already, I just can't fathom it.'

'I know. He's my big boy, aren't you?' Lanie kissed Carey's forehead with a noisy _mwah_, rubbed away the smudge of her lipstick with her thumb.

'I big boy.'

'Don't let me keep you, I heard the guys had a long one the last few days, Dave's been going through hell at work which is why we are making his favourite pasta for dinner tonight, aren't we, Carey?'

'Daddy like.'

Meredeth laughed. 'Sounds like a plan.'

'Oh and if Castle calls you,' Lanie added turning back as she shoved her cart towards the imported cheese counter, 'he wants to know about the July holiday weekend.'

'Sounds great. Daddy will like that,' Meredeth said to Tessi as they continued in their quest. 'Daddy loves going to Uncle Rick's place on the water, especially on the boat. It goes fast, it goes vroom vroom vroom.'

They made it to the dairy section and as Meredeth was trying to debate between the kinds of cheese on sale, she heard a child's voice.

'Look at that baby! It's so little!'

She glanced over and saw the boy, about five or so, tugging on his mother's hand and pointing to Tessi. With a smile, she nodded at the boy. 'She is two months and four days old.'

'Wow.' Now it was the mother who returned the smile. 'I remember when this one was that age. Treasure those moments while she's still that tiny.'

'I do.' Meredeth murmured the words as the woman and her boy turned the corner out of the aisle, and she went back to her shopping. 'I absolutely do.'

When they turned into the pasta and sauces aisle, Meredeth thought of what Lanie had said and was making Dave's favourite dish for dinner since he'd been so stressed with work. Her man was a fanboy of her lasagne, and she had all the ingredients already in the cart so why not? He'd had a long couple of days by number six of his eight days straight. She picked up a box of noodles and made a mental note to detour back to the bakery for a loaf of fresh bread; he loved her homemade garlic toast with three kinds of cheese.

'Daddy likes lasagne because it makes great leftovers he can take to work. Yes it does,' she explained to Tessi, who just continued to smile and shift happily in her car-seat. 'You're such a good baby girl, Tessi, you've been so good for Mommy. We are going to have a bath when we get home, and a fresh diaper, and a snack. We've got a lot to do.'

* * *

The shopping trip, in Meredeth's estimation was, in her mind, a rousing success. Not only did she not forget a single item on her grocery list, but Tessi didn't cry once in the store or on either car trip.

'Can't ask for better than that, can we Tessi-boo?' she told her infant as she set her down on the kitchen table in her car seat before quickly grabbing the last of the items from the back seat of the Nissan. 'You were just fantastic, weren't you?'

With the last canned good and bottle put away, Meredeth took Tessi upstairs, pausing at her bedroom door and smiling when she heard the murmur of voices from the other side. He'd fallen asleep with her DVD player; Meredet knew Esposito often did so when he was beyond exhaustion. 'Ssh, Daddy's sleeping,' she hissed at Tessi, who herself had begun to yawn and it was no wonder. She'd been awake since her first feeding at seven thirty that morning and since it was just past one now, and she was due for her lunch, Meredeth knew Tessi probably had just enough energy to eat and then she'd be down for the count.

So Meredeth turned on the stereo in the nursery that had the music she often played while feeding Tessi when she wanted her to sleep afterward - Respighi's _The Pines of Rome _from _Fantasia 2000_. Though she wasn't a fan of the animation in the film itself, she loved the music the producers had chosen to use and found herself humming it as Tessi suckled at her breast. The moment she'd had her fill, Tessi was yawning widely as she was put on her mother's shoulder for burping; it didn't take long for the air bubble to escape and she was tucked in for her nap with her turtle nearby.

'Sleep well, Tessi-boo, I love you,' Meredeth murmured as the baby's eyelids sank shut, and she softly closed the nursery door. Deciding it would be a good idea to check on her husband to make sure he was still breathing, she moved quietly over the carpeted hallway, but just before she opened the door, Meredeth's hand paused on the knob.

Just like in her dream, she heard a woman's pleasurable sigh from the other side of the door. But what made it odd was that it was her own.

Confused, Meredeth shoved open the door and froze but not in heartbroken terror. The drapes were drawn but she could make out the silhouette of her husband on the bed. He was lying on his side, his ass towards the door, and the dim light from the DVD player casting a depth shadow. She heard the voices from the tiny speakers and realized he'd put on one of their private home videos, the one from Columbus Day the previous year, when Meredeth had been so proud of her belly popping out into one round curve of pregnancy.

And then she heard it over the soundtrack - the unmistakable sound of flesh on flesh.

'Javi!' she hissed, trying her best not to laugh at what she walked in on him doing.

'Oh, Jesus, Mere!' Guilty and embarrassed, Esposito drew his thigh up to hide his erection his hand fisting on the bedsheet. 'Babe, I didn't even hear you come in downstairs.'

'I wouldn't think so if you were going to town on yourself like that when I did.' Amusement was rich in her voice as she pulled her top over her head so she was in her soft at-home shorts and her bra to spoon up against his naked back. 'I thought you were asleep.'

'I tried but when I'm this overtired, the only thing that'll work is...well, that, unless I get interrupted.'

'How so? I mean, we've had all-night sex before.'

'When it's with you, it's like I can go all night because my mind is into it. This, when I'm exhausted beyond, is more like popping an irritating zit.'

'Ah.'

Esposito turned over so he was flat on his back and could see the glee in his wife's eyes. 'What are you so smiley about?'

'I just think it's kinda cute that you were poking the bear to a video of us together.' Now she pressed a kiss to her mouth, her resolving weakening against the age-old pun. 'Want a hand finishing up here so you can get some sleep?'

'Sure.'

With a smile painting her lips, Meredeth touched him, giving his body the release it desperately needed. The moment he oozed warm against her hand, he pulled her in for a fierce kiss as he murmured, 'Thank you, Mere, thank you so much baby. I love you.'

'Love you too. Hey I'm going to make lasagne for dinner.'

'Okay.' On a yawn, he turned his head to the side. 'Wake me when it's ready.'

Meredeth could only laugh and shake her head as she kissed him and headed downstairs to put water on for the pasta.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	26. First Picnic in the Park

On Tuesday morning, Esposito awoke with excitement. It was his first day off after six straight, and nothing and no one was going to interrupt his plans. He was taking his family to the park for the morning, and for him, this was such a momentous occasion. His earliest memories of his family were at the park: his parents with Lily in her pram, him walking proudly beside and seeing that big expanse of green in front of him ripe with possibility for his four year old imagination.

Now he would pass that tradition on; they'd prepped their day-bags and the cooler lunch the night before when he'd come home from work. Pulling Meredeth tighter to his body - nope, he hadn't given up that cuddly-sleeper thing - he shook her lightly.

'Baby, I'm not even awake, gimme a minute,' she mumbled.

Esposito kissed the curve of her neck, his hand gently cupping her breast so he could feel her heartbeat. 'How about now?'

'I'm awake but...' Meredeth let the tail of her sentence die off when she rolled over to face him and saw the excitement in his eyes. 'Did I miss something? Did you beat level eighteen on _Havana Hellcats: Rise of Suarez_ or what?'

'It's park-day today.'

'Oh yeah.' She should have known, but she'd been awake for all of sixty-three seconds. Now she understood the look on his face; her husband had a thing about hanging out in parks. Some of their best dates where it was just them spending time together out of the house and away from work were on long walks in the park occasionally interrupted with a snack or beverage. 'Do you have your toys ready?' she teased him and because he was in such a great mood, he laughed before he gave her a smacking kiss.

'I love you Mere.'

'Love you too Javi.'

'And yes, I do have my gear together, so we'll get showers and feed the baby and the dog, and we'll go.'

'You first, I'll feed Tessi,' Meredeth decided as she heard the baby stir through the monitor, giggling when her husband bounded off to the ensuite with his towel in hand. She loved seeing him so carefree, as she knew the weights of his job often made his downtime all the more precious when he could block out the job and just enjoy his own private life.

She went into the nursery and wasn't at all surprised to find that Tessi had flipped herself onto her stomach and had her tiny little bottom in the air. How she managed to do it when she was just ten days shy of three months old, Meredeth hadn't a clue, but she'd discovered that whenever Tessi arranged herself like this, Meredeth knew it was time for a diaper change right away.

'Hello, my princess,' she crooned, picking up the baby and tickling her tummy, making her laugh. 'Did you have a good sleep? Bet your getting hungry, huh?'

Once Tessi was changed and fed, Meredeth was just finishing putting her in a sunny yellow romper with purple stars all over it and was putting on little baby sandals for her when Esposito all but bounced in, a plastic bag in hand.

'Here, I got her something,' he said proudly. 'Picked it up on my way home from work yesterday.'

'Look at this, Tessi, Daddy just loves to spoil you.'

She put the adorable infant-sized Mets cap on the baby's head and watched as Tessi blinked, adjusted to this new development. 'What do we think of that, sweetcheeks?'

'She says, I'll let you know soon, Mommy.' Esposito grinned, snapped a picture of his daughter. 'Okay, let's go!'

* * *

As they walked towards the park, Meredeth couldn't help but laugh a little at the picture she knew they made - the proud new parents pushing the baby's pram down the street, daddy manning the carriage handle while mommy kept the dog on a short leash. Arturo was large enough to poke his nose into the pram and when they'd stopped at the crosswalk, he did, sniffling at Tessi's feet which made her gurgle in delight.

'That little girl has all the boys going gaga,' Meredeth commented, 'even the dog.'

'And the first one that comes sniffing around her looking for more than ice cream and holding hands will find out why I'm the sharpshooter in my Homicide squad,' Esposito replied without missing a beat.

'What if it's Dell?'

'Don't even joke about that, it's bad enough he's trying to woo my wife away from me.'

Meredeth laughed. 'You are my true love, even if that little guy is so charming.'

'Ryan was telling me that Honey-Milk was showing Dell pictures from Memorial Day weekend, and he insisted she print one off to put in his room.'

'That is so precious,' she said, as they crossed the street with the lights and out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a photographer. 'Javi, we're being watched.'

'What?' His cop instincts now pepper with the protectiveness of fatherhood, Esposito's head whipped up from watching his daughter and looked around. 'Where?'

'We're not being stalked, it's the guy at the cafe up the block. I recognize him, it's Paul Ricardo. He's one of the guys that Robina keeps on her naughty-and-nice list so that her clients will stay in the positive spotlight.'

'Oh.'

'Do you remember a few years back, that movie _High Rollers_ about the poker-player murders from Sylvia Hathaway's novella?'

'Yeah, it was the first one we watched together at my place.'

Meredeth's heart fluttered romantically. 'Aw, what a guy. Anyways, it was a good movie but before it even came out, there was a huge uproar because the production company wanted to adapt her work with her writing alongside the screenwriters and the publishing company said 'up yours' even though the option to write the adaptation was in Sylvia's contract, because Robina had negotiated it for her, and all that tangoing left Sylvia caught in the middle but eventually the publishers relented. Ricardo's photos of her working on set once the legal mumbo-jumbo cleared up were what helped save the reputation of the movie by showing how classy a lady Sylvia is.'

'Wow.' Esposito knew Robina was a real bulldog of an agent, he'd heard the stories from Meredeth and seen her in action with Gil before they started dating, but it still didn't really put him at complete ease with the photographer issue. 'So why has she gotten him out taking photos of us?'

'Because Kristof and I are going to be finalizing the details for the next _Lady Hawk_ by the end of August, so it will be out in time for Christmas and there is talk of putting the second and third books into production for CBS as well. Nothing set in stone, just talks,' she explained, seeing the light of understanding in his eyes.

'And having your picture as the happy successful woman who balances motherhood and her career makes us look super awesome all around.'

'Which you and I both know we are.'

Esposito pursed his lips. It was one of the pitfalls of being involved with a woman whose name was as well known as Meredeth's was, but then he supposed he gave her enough stress being a cop too, so in that respect, it evened out. 'Okay then. But if they show up on Perez Hilton, I'm going to talk to our lawyer about how best to keep me out of prison for murder.'

'That's fair.'

'Here we are.' Esposito turned Tessi's pram onto the walking path of the park, his sights already set on a big shady elm tree. 'That looks great.'

They stopped under the tree so they could people watch on the playground while still enjoying some privacy of their own, especially considering they had the dog with them and he couldn't be let off his leash to play with all those kids around. Esposito reached into the backpack he'd brought and pulled out a blanket to spread on the ground, then added Tessi's little cushioned blanket so she wouldn't bump her soft little noggin on the hard ground. A light smear of baby=grade sunblock was next and when Meredeth had wiped off her hands, she stretched onto her stomach beside Tessi. with the video camera.

'This is Tessi's first trip to the park, one of many I'm sure, since Daddy's such a nut for going to the park,' she said on a laugh, zooming in as Tessi rolled herself onto her tummy. 'What a big girl, Tessi! You are getting very good at that!'

'Yes she is,' Esposito agreed, holding Arturo steady as he watched all the Frisbees and baseballs flying past. 'I know buddy, but those aren't yours. We'll play in a little bit.'

He watched his daughter, looking around at all the new sights and sounds and smells, not surprised when she wrinkled her nose into a sneeze when a strong wind blew past. 'I know, it's different and exciting, isn't it Tessi?' he cooed at his little girl, stretching himself out on his stomach beside her. Holding his free hand out in front of her, his insides went to mush as she grabbed it to steady herself as she squirmed around on her belly.

'I bet when we go to Castle's place for the holiday weekend, we're going to have another water-baby in our midst.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	27. First Island Visit

'Hey Mere?'

'Yeah, babe.'

'Are we going to leave in the morning or the afternoon on Friday?'

Meredeth rinsed the shampoo from her hair before sticking her head around the curtain. 'I thought we agree on the morning since you have to work Monday morning and we're taking a Sunday lunchtime flight back.'

'Okay, because I got an email from the travel agent who said if we wanted, we could travel first-class on United Airlines at one versus coach on Delta at ten.'

'I think we'll stick with what we have,' she told him. 'I know you are excited to see all your cousins.'

'I am. I can't wait to show off our baby to them.'

'Uh-huh.' Meredeth scrubbed her facial cleanser over face. She loved going to San Juan to meet even more of her husband's family, and there was certainly a lot of them. She just didn't like the idea that they could be making fun of her to her face without her knowing because she didn't speak Spanish.

Esposito knew this was always something she hesitated about whenever they went, and he poked his face, smeared with shaving cream around the shower curtain. 'Repeat after me. _Lentamente_.'

'Lent-ah-ment-ee.'

'_Lentamente._'

'Lentamente_._'

'_Hablad mas.'_

_'_Ab-lad mass.'

Esposito laughed as he scraped off the night's growth of beard with his razor, rinsed it in the sink. 'Close enough, now put it together. _Hablad mas lentamente_.'

'Ab-lad mass lent-ah-ment-ee.'

'_Haablad mas lentamente, por favor_,' he said, rolling his R's and thickening his accent in such a way he knew would have his wife's insides going giggly.

'Ab-lad mass lent-ah-ment-ee pour fah-vor.'

'God you sound so cute.'

'Thank you. What did I just say?'

'Please speak slower.'

'Oh.' Meredeth repeated it to herself over and over while she rinsed her face off. 'Teach me another one.'

* * *

'Dond'esta una bebida?'

'Que bebida?'

'Una bebida con gas. Gas, is that right?'

'The ess should sound like a zed. Gazzzzzz,' he said, buzzing like a fly, the sound making Tessi giggle in her pram. 'Right, Tessi, gazzzzzz.'

'She says, Daddy, you sound silly!'

Esposito smiled as he pushed Tessi towards the baggage check. 'You think I'm funny, wait until we get to _prima_ Penny's. Lots of loud crazy people.'

They got their bags, then headed towards the doors to meet Esposito's cousin Penny; Meredeth recognized her as a near carbon-copy of Lili, only about four inches taller. She had glossy black hair that was half up, half down so it spilled like a waterfall over her shoulders, and her skin was warm caramel. She was also spring-loaded like Lili, for she bounced up and down on the spot, waving wildly.

'Brace yourself,' Esposito said out of the corner of his mouth.

Penny bounced over and wrapped her arms around Esposito's torso, twisting back and forth like a washing machine as she let out a rapid-fire stream of Spanish, speaking so quickly that Meredeth could only catch the _tranquillo _Esposito could manage to squeak in.

'Oh, my manners are gone, _si_? Meredeth, you are so lovely! And look at our little _senorita_, what she is called, again?'

'This is Tessi.'

'Tessi, _hola_, I am your _prima_ Penny, and this is Roberto. Come, come, everyone can't wait to see you!'

'How many, is everyone?'

'A small group, twenty or so. There will be more tomorrow for the big dinner.'

'Fantastic,' Meredeth said lightly, already feeling a little swamped. 'I, ah...do all of them speak English?'

'Not to worry, Meredeth, I take care of you and Tessi.' Penny pointed to her husband to take the luggage from Meredeth, which he did while Penny looped through Meredeth's. 'Javi, he's a big boy, he can worry about himself.'

'Um...'

'Come, come, we will head to the farm and get you settled in, and then we show off the baby.'

It was difficult to argue with her, especially when she had such a death grip on Meredeth's arm but since Penny had no problem filling up her ears with chatter about the family as they left the airport Meredeth didn't make the attempt. Thankfully because there was five of them, she was able to sit in the backseat of the station wagon beside Esposito and Tessi.

The drive out to the farm was enjoyable for Esposito as well as his wife, as they hadn't been there since the previous summer in between Castle and Beckett's wedding and discovering that Meredeth was pregnant, and to see the island roads and scenery was always a treat. He was excited to see his cousins too, of course, to show off his baby. He knew there were some who were still apprehensive of the fact he'd married a white woman but for the most part they only saw how happy he was with her, and that he loved her beyond measure.

They made it out to Penny and Roberto's house in the orchards and wasn't surprised to hear his family before he saw them. The Huertas clan would no be there this weekend, it was strictly an Esposito affair only, but even still, he knew they were enough to make Meredeth's teeth go on edge since it was the Huertas side of his family that spoke the most English.

'Roberto will put the bags in your room, and the baby will be in there with you,' Penny declared as Roberto parked, shut off the engine. 'This is okay?'

'It's perfect,' Meredeth replied with a smile.

'I tell them you want a shower to freshen up, then you come downstairs and say hello and eat. You are losing weight, Meredeth, not good for nursing.'

* * *

The shower made Meredeth feel a little more human, as it did for Esposito and as much as they both wanted a quick little pop and flash with each other, they knew it would have to wait until later, because once Esposito stepped out of the bath he'd heard the drift of music and voices from outside and knew even more people had arrived and wanted to see them.

When they stepped out on the porch of Penny and Roberto's large plantation home, Meredeth tried to stay positive as she saw the large group dark-haired heads. How would she remember who was who when she saw them only once or twice a year?

Apparently, no stress was needed, though, because the moment she stepped onto the porch with Tessi in her sling, all heads turned towards her and a group of women her age rushed up to meet her, speaking in a mix of English and Spanish.

'_Que linda_!'

'What a beauty! Those eyes!'

'Her name?'

'This is Tessiana. Constance Tessiana Marie Esposito,' Meredeth said proudly, and felt Esposito squeeze her hand supportively. 'We call her Tessi.'

'Tessi. This is beauty name,' one of them said with a smile before asking Esposito something; he turned to her and said, 'Gabriella says we are very fortunate to have such a blessing.'

'_Gracias_,' Meredeth replied, and got a head-bob in return. She sniffed the air as she walked down the steps, the wave of people ebbing slightly. 'That smells fantastic.'

'The Espositos are known for their awesome barbecue skills.'

'That explains why you can grill a flank steak but cookies are too much for you to handle.'

'Exactly,' he agreed, taking his daughter's hand in his when she waved her arms. 'That explains everything, doesn't it, Tessi-boo?'

'Meredeth!'

Penny rushed up, pitcher in one hand and a glass in the other. 'I make you a special fruit punch, no rum. All the juice comes from our fruits here.' She poured enough into the glass for what Meredeth though enough to feed her for a week and thrust it at her. 'Here. Drink, it's good for you.'

'Thank you.' Meredeth sipped and nearly melted. 'Oh, that's yummy. I forgot how good that fresh papaya is.'

'I send you some when we do the harvest. Come, come, sit, sit, I remake the introductions.'

Esposito watched as Meredeth was all but frog marched over to a group; he laughed when Penny pointed to the baby and they all crowded around, and wondered how long it would be before Penny let her talk again.

He followed her inside when she went to nurse Tessi in their room, out of the warm sun as much for privacy, and when he closed the door behind him, he felt himself fall in love with Meredeth even more, as he heard her murmur the couple of words in Spanish she'd picked up from the conversation to their daughter while she snacked.

'_Que linda Tessi, yo amo Tessi mucha_.'

'Meredeth?'

'Yeah, baby?' She looked up at Esposito and felt a liquid rush in her stomach at the look in his eyes. 'What?'

'I think there's a few more words for non-Tessi ears I should teach you.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	28. First Taste

'What do you think Javi, should she just go in her swim diaper or have her baby bikini on?'

Esposito looked over from where he was bathing Tessi in her tub and arched an eyebrow as his wife packed Tessi's diaper bag for the next day. 'How about a tent? That boy doesn't need ideas in his head.'

'He's three, he probably doesn't even know how babies are really made yet.'

'Yeah, I don't care. Dell Ryan's had his eye on our daughter since before she was born. Tent.'

Meredeth folded the swimsuit into the diaper bag. 'Okay, everything is in there we need to go swimming together tomorrow.'

'And where is this place?'

'The YWCA Jenny takes Dell for swim lessons. There's an hour in the morning set aside for moms with children under five. And if Ryan the worry-wart is cool with it, you know it's fine.'

'This is true.' Esposito smiled; there was no one who fretted over his family like he'd seen his partner do, though truthfully, his partner's son was type-II diabetic so he kinda had good reason to worry. Rubbing the towel over Tessi and making her giggle, he felt the last bits of his long day drift away. 'For now, it's nappy and nap time for you, princess.'

Meredeth watched him put on Tessi's diaper, admiring the way his biceps flexed as he performed his fatherly duties with enthusiasm. He'd stripped off his shirt to bathe his daughter and she'd made the excuse of needing the bathroom herself so she wouldn't be tempted to throw him down on the floor of the nursery. Her hormones had sorted themselves out once she'd gotten her first period after having Tessi and she was now back to the feeling of wanting to feast on Esposito like an animal a few days after she was done needing her Tampax.

'Here,' she said, 'I'll finish this, why don't you get ready for bed?'

'Sounds great.'

Esposito gave his wife a kiss, one sweet one on the lips, then a longer lingering one before he went into the bedroom to set the mood a little. He'd come home after work that day to find her barbecuing in her bikini top and black cotton shorts and his mouth had watered first for her, then the seared meat on the grill. Watching her set down the grilling fork to tickle Tessi's feet under the shade of the umbrella on their tiny patio made his blood sing for her even more and he had plans for that lush, creamy body the moment Tessi was in bed for the night.

Candles lit, filling the room with the scent coconut, Esposito stripped down so he was already naked for her. He skipped the music, as they both found it distracting on a night like this, and instead put the black lace fly-away babydoll he'd surprised her with one day - a just-for-being-awesome-you gift - on the end of the bed for her.

'Tessi's out for the count, so...' Meredeth trailed off when she saw the room aglow with candlelit, her husband in bed waiting for her. She blinked, letting her eyes go dreamy. 'Now it's time for Mommy and Daddy to play.'

'Oh yeah.' Esposito twisted to her side of the bed, picked up the jar of coconut oil. 'I could use a massage.'

Meredeth smiled, jutted her chin at him. 'Turn around so I can put this on.'

'Why? I like watching you undress.'

'Okay.' Meredeth was still feeling self-conscious about her body, particularly after seeing the photos from the Fourth fo July at Castle's but she was working on it. More importantly, her husband still got that look in his eye, like he had now, for her body. Meredeth reminded herself she was about the same size as when she'd been six months pregnant and he'd had sex with her plenty of times after that, so she should stop stressing. Pushing the demons out of her mind, she pulled her shirt over her head and shoved her bottoms, panties and all to the floor. A quick flick of the wrist and she'd unsnapped her bra so she was naked as she tugged on the lace over her breasts. She sighed; he'd gotten the good lace, the soft stuff not the scratchy stuff. 'There,' she purred, turning back to him, and crawling on top of him to kiss him, 'now where were we?'

'Forgot the massage, come here.'

Esposito put his hand on the back of her head and fused his mouth to hers, rolling so she was under him, legs opened so he could rest against her. They no longer needed the addition of the lubricant to keep things hot, he noted; she was already beginning to dampen for him as it was. He filled his hands with her lace-covered breasts before zooming them down to her hips to pull her tight against them.

'Mere,' he huffed, 'what do you want tonight?'

'Anything,' she sighed, palms slick as she cruised over his back, and she opened herself wider to him. 'Whatever you want.'

He would take her at her word. With one finger, he hooked the strap of her baby doll and tugged it down, then the other, revealing her breasts in their glory. It was his only hesitation - Esposito loved to taste her breasts but he last thign he wanted was a mouthful of milk meant only for Tessi. 'Mere, can I?'

'Yes. God, please, yes.'

Esposito nodded, and lowered his mouth to her breast, gently laving her and rolling the sweet heated peak with his tongue. He felt himself harden when he heard Meredeth's whimper of pleasure, so he moved to the other one, replacing his thumb over the one he'd just left. His blood bubbled madly for her as heat rose from her body, the warm place where she cradled him grow moist, and he moved from her breasts down to her soft creamy skin of covering her belly.

Meredeth could hardly breathe for all the pleasure she felt from her husband, even as she tugged her baby-doll back over her breasts; what she want him to do next most definitely require them to be covered.

'Javi,' she moaned loudly, 'please...please, use your tongue on me.'

Esposito only smiled, and moved his mouth down her body, over her hip to the inside of her thigh, where he planted sticky, lingering kisses until he was tasting her, pleasuring her where she waited wetly for him. Her cry was strangled and desperate, and she laced her fingers together on the back of his head to keep him close as she rocked her hips against him.

'Right there, Javi, right...God!'

Esposito felt her body stuffen as his tongue danced over her trigger and she came for him in one hot explosion. He kneaded his hands rhythmically into her thighs as she shudder, erotic delight shooting through her veins. When she was reducing to sighs, he brushed his lips over her thigh, then slid up her body. Taking her hand in his, he watched with dark passion as she licked her palm and moved it between their bodies, closing her hand around him to guide him in.

So wet and warm, he thought, eyes shining as she watched her lips form that 'oh!' she always made whenever he was inside her. He wrapped her legs over his hips, rolled so she was on top of him and squeezed her ass tightly as she ground against him, holding with each pass and released. Esposito closed his eyes as his head lolled back; she was so sensual for him, and only him, the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, he thought as he watched her arch her back in pleasure and groan.

Then he rolled again so she was underneath him, looking in his eyes as the thunderstorm rolled through her. No one made her feel like this, like the most gorgeous creature in the world. For him, Meredeth knew, she was and that was a great and powerful love.

'Javi,' she whispered in a husky, hitching voice, 'I love you.'

'I love you too, Mere.'

'I...I...'

'Say it,' he rasped, his pace driving her mad.

'I'm coming.'

And she did, as his mouth covered hers and swallowed her cry, and he followed her over the sweet edge of orgasm, into oblivion.

They lay together on the bed, tangled and happy and satisfied. In about a year or so, Esposito mused, they might be back to normal.

'Mere,' he said against her throat in a wheeze, 'I love you.'

'I love you too Javi.'

They kissed, and Esposito repositioned himself so he was spooned up behind her. 'And I still say tomorrow Tessi better be wearing a one-piece or I might have to have a man-to-man chat with Dell sooner than I thought.'

'Okay, Daddy, no need to polish your service pistol yet.'

'Oh, there are so many naughty jokes I could make on that one,' Esposito chuckled. 'And besides, you'd do the...polishing.'

'You're gross.'

'And you love me.'

'Very, very much.' Meredeth turned over to face him. 'In fact, give me a few minutes and I'll show you just how much.'

'Hot tub?' When Meredeth nodded, Esposito kissed her for what had to be the millionth time in the last hour. 'Then more dirty?'

'As much as we can handle.'

'I'll get some towels.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	29. First Play Date

'Where are we on forensics?'

'It's a taxi so there's a lot of the usual players - prints, fibres, and fluids,' Esposito said with a wrinkled nose as he scanned his message from the lab, 'but they haven't found any to match Kieran or Russell.'

'Crap. Okay, I'll talk to the dispatcher again, see if he'll be less less-than-useless.'

When Beckett left with Castle in tow, Esposito turned back to the financial records of Rama Russell; in his mind the dude sounded more like a Marvel superhero but he didn't pick the dead he stood for. He was halfway through the month's Visa pops when Ryan wheeled over in his office chair.

'Hey buddy.'

'What do you want?'

'Whaddaya mean?'

'Kevin, you only call me 'buddy' when you need a favour,' Esposito reminded him without looking up from his highlighted financial records.

'Okay. Jenny has a couple of doctor's appointments on the morning of the twentieth and she wants me to go with her.'

'That's fine, we'll manage without you.'

'Except that it's her day off and she was supposed to spend it with Dell, so we kind of need a sitter.'

'What happened to your nanny?'

Ryan shook his head. 'We don't use her anymore. Since Jenny was promoted, her hours are a lot more consistent so she can take Dell to the hospital preschool so there wasn't a need for her anymore.'

'So you're asking me to nanny for you?' The words were barely out of Esposito's mouth when he realized what his partner was asking. A flare of protectiveness of his wife flared up and he narrowed his eyes as his voice went steely. 'Oh, I get it. You think because Meredeth writes at home she doesn't work hard or have her hands full with our three and a half month old, so you can just impose on her to take care of Dell?' he snapped.

'Of course not, bro, not at all.' Ryan shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs out. 'Jesus, where did that come from?'

'Shit, I'm sorry. Not your fault.'

'Did someone say something?'

Esposito shook his head in disgust, still irritated by the moment. 'We were grocery shopping with my mother for Tessi's baptism - it's on August ninth, by the way at San Gabriel's - and we ran into Val's sister Melanie.'

'Ohhh.' Ryan nodded. He remembered Melanie almost as well as Valencia, the women had been together the night they had been out for drinks and Esposito had made the unfortunate decision to go home with Val. 'I take it things didn't go so smoothly?'

'Melanie said Tessi was so lucky to have a mother rich enough to be a stay at home mom who dabbles in storytelling for fun.'

'Ouch.'

'Meredeth just smiled and said at least her sister wasn't in prison for murder, which is very true, but it really made me want to hit Mel. Meredeth works hard,' he said defensively. 'She is very good at what she does. God knows I don't have that capacity for that kind of creative writing.'

'Who does?' Ryan paused. 'It's okay, I can ask someone else.'

'No, it's okay. Here.'

Esposito put his desk phone on speaker and dialed his house-line; a few minutes later Meredeth's voice came through the speaker and in the background was the dog barking and the baby cooing. God, he was married, he thought with a little laugh.

'Hello?'

'Hey babe.'

'Hi Javi!' She sounded happy as a little sparrow and it made Esposito's irritation with the slap Mel had delivered disintegrate a little bit. 'Are you en route somewhere?'

'No, I'm at my desk in the bullpen and you're on speaker phone. My partner's here with me.'

'Hi Kevin, you'll be thanking me tomorrow, Tessi and I have been baking and we made your favourite cookies.'

'Aw, thanks Mere! Listen, I know it's an imposition to ask, but Jenny wants me to go with to some doctor's appointments on Thursday morning, and-'

'Oh my god, is everything okay? I'll take care of Dell here, not to worry, but what's going on?'

Guilt trickled down Ryan's neck like a raw egg. 'She's fine, it's just some routine check-ups, but if you're available could you watch Dell for a few hours?'

'Of course, not a problem. Javi we didn't have any plans that day, did we?'

'No, I switched my day off so we can meet with Father Paolo for the baptism. Mere, are you sure you're cool with it? I know you said you wanted to use the morning for writing.'

'That's the beauty of working at home, I can make my writing schedule work for me. What time will he be arriving?'

'Around eight. We'll give him his morning needle before he arrives.'

'Okay, though you know they don't bother me.'

'I know, just one less thing to impose on you.'

'Ryan, it's never an imposition to ask. To assume, yes, but never to ask. And really, think it through. Your son, Delaney, gets to spend the morning with me and Tessi. Would I turn down those photo ops?'

Esposito laughed; clearly he was way too hung up on Mel's comment, when his bride made quips like that. 'I'm heading to the gym after shift Mere, so I won't be home until about seven-thirty.'

'Okay, sounds good. My timer just went for more cookies so I have to run. Love you, Javi! And Tessi loves you too.'

'Love you Mere, love you Tessi.'

Esposito hung up the phone, shook his head at himself. 'Okay, I had a little bit of a you-moment didn't I?'

'A little bit?' was all Ryan needed to say to get a friendly shove in the shoulder and be rolled along his way.

* * *

On Thursday morning, Meredeth dressed Tessi in a cute pair of pink shorts and a white top that ready 'Home Grown' with little flowers on vines trailing over it. She thought about adding shoes, but they were hanging indoors with the air conditioning since there were various weather warnings out.

'You ready for your first play-date, Tessi-boo?' she cooed at her girl, who giggled at her mommy's high-pitched voice. 'Yes you are. Oh, look, there goes your puppy!'

Arturo had heard the doorbell and had gone from being flaked out at Meredeth's feet in the nursery to sentinel on the move, grumbling low with his deep voice. With Tessi against her chest, Meredeth headed downstairs to unlock the door and smiled when she saw Honey-Milk, Ryan and Dell all standing there.

'Hi Tessi!' Dell's smile was bright and cheerful as balloons. He let go of his mother's hand to march in and parking his little bottom on the lowest stair, took his sandals off before reaching up and patting Meredeth's leg. 'She ready to puh-lay?'

'She is. Are you ready to play?'

'Uh-huh.' Dell nodded, held up the cloth tote he'd dragged in with him; it was almost the same size as him. 'I buh-rought my Tessi toys.'

'Tessi toys, huh?'

Honey-Milk shook her head. 'He keeps a bag of stuffed animals in his room ready to go in case he gets to play with Tessi wherever it is we're going.'

'I buh-rought rex. Where is Cuh-rush?'

'Yo, Dell Monte, give us a kiss.' Ryan knelt down and gave his son a squeezing hug. 'Mommy and Daddy have to go to the doctor's so you're hanging here with Auntie Meredeth and Tessi until lunchtime, okay?'

'Yea!' Dell cheered, then kissed his father's cheek. 'Love you Daddy. See you soon. Love you Mommy.'

'Bye sweetie.'

Dell kissed his mother and the moment Meredeth closed the door, he turned to Meredeth. 'Now we puh-lay?'

'Yes, now we play.'

They sat down in the living room, where Meredeth had already stretched out the cushioned blanket for her daughter; Arturo had been trained to stay off of it so there was no fear of the dog squishing the baby. She put Tessi on her back and Dell immediately squatted on his hands and knees to study her.

'She has puh-retty eyes. They are buh-lue, like mine.'

'Yes they are.'

'She like buh-lue?' Dell had dragged over his bag of toys and pulled out a stuffed animal that looked like a mutant swordfish. 'This is an icky-saurus. They are buh-lue too.'

With an amazing gentleness, he picked up the toy and made it jump up Tessi's leg, which had her giggling, then shrieking in delight when he made it tickle her tummy lightly. 'She is laughin', Meredeth.'

'Yes she is.'

Dell nodded sagely before picking up another stuffed dinosaur, this one a long-neck. 'This is a buh-ron-a-saurus, they are long necks.'

He made the brontosaurus do a little tap dance on her tummy and Tessi tracked the movement with her eyes, smiling the whole time, then sneezed when he bopped the small head lightly on her nose.

'She is a suh-neezy baby.' Dell leaned in and Meredeth used her camera to capture the moment as he kissed the tip of her nose. 'I love my suh-neezy Tessi.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	30. First Blessing

Churches always made Meredeth feel small and strange. She hadn't grown up with religion, not like Esposito had; most of what she knew was from studying history and learning about religious symbolism as represented in film in her undergrad, and was almost always certain that she would do something to offend someone whenever she walked inside.

Esposito could sense the hesitation in her, the shields way up and didn't blame her. He knew her anxiety wasn't so much over the religious aspects of Catholicism

'Don't be nervous,' he told her. 'Father Paolo thinks you're great, and he's excited to see you embrace this without feeling pressured.'

'I like the childhood stories you have of going to church and Sunday school, and I'd like our daughter and other eventual children to have that option as well.'

'Tessi thinks that's very sweet of you, don't you Tessi?' Esposito bent his head to make it look as though his four month old baby was speaking to him. He grinned when she babbled sweetly. 'She says yes, and thanks you for her very pretty dress, Mommy.'

Meredeth reached over and wiggled Tessi's foot through the satin baptism gown, which made her dusky golden skin look even more magical. Her hair was going curly, a gift from her daddy - Meredeth had seen the photos of her husband as a boy and he'd rocked one seriously wicked afro - but the eyes were deep, dark blue, just like Meredeth's had been at that age. 'You look like an angel, Tessi-boo, yes you're Mommy and Daddy's little angel.'

'Mamamamamam.'

Esposito felt his heart sigh. His little girl was getting so big already, she was already starting to babble in baby talk; the pediatrician had heard her vocalizing two days before during her checkup and suspected that like Dell, Tessi would be an early talker. 'You are just full of things to say today aren't you?'

'There's our little sweetheart.'

Meredeth glanced up from where they were sitting on a pew to see Father Paolo Telmo walking towards them in his full Sunday mass vestments. He was, in her mind, the ideal priest, the kind of guy who took his vows seriously and yet would be comfortable in a pub with a point discussing the latest sports match. Maybe if she'd encountered more like him in her formative years, she wouldn't feel so weirded out by going into churches.

'Hello Esposito family.' Father Paolo came over, saw Tessi in her father's arms. He'd performed many christenings in his tenure at San Gabriel but this one would be of particular importance to him, for the man holding his infant daughter had been young Paolo Telmo's first baptism at San Gabriel's. He smiled jovially at the happy little girl. 'My goodness she's getting big. Your mother showed us the photos two days after she was born. What a cutie.'

'She's our little princess,' Meredeth agreed. 'The people we've asked to stand as our godparents should be arriving shortly.'

'Oh, that's fine, that's fine, I just wanted to make sure we're all agreed on the water rite, that it would be done over the brow and not a full immersion.'

'Yeah.' Esposito shifted Tessi on his lap, turned to see his family priest at a better angle. 'Tessi kinda flips her lid if someone other than Meredeth or myself gives her a bath so it'd go over a lot better if she just gets a wet forehead.'

'Perfectly understandable.'

The back door of the church opened and Meredeth didn't have to turn around to know who it was, she recognized the child's voice instantly.

'Tizzy amen?'

'Not quite, baby.'

All three Espositos turned to see Lanie, Dave and Carey walking towards them, Carey in his Sunday best suit as he toddled down the aisle on the unsteady legs of a newly independent walker. 'Merry!' he declared loudly when he saw Meredeth, and he hugged her around the knees before waving his chubby little hand at the baby. 'Hi Tizzy.'

'Hi Carey, you're getting big, and you look very handsome today,' Meredeth replied, making the toddler's bi-coloured eyes shine with pride.

'Tie,' he said, pointing to his little clip-on. 'Boy tie.'

'That's right, boys wear ties when they get dressed up,' Dave agreed, swing his son onto his hip. 'The Ryans are outside, Dell's shoe came untied and he insisted on redoing it himself.'

'Of course he did, he's stubborn like his daddy,' Esposito chuckled, then saw the family of topic come in, looking a little stressed but happy nonetheless. 'Hello shoe-tiers,' he grinned.

'I fix it myself,' Dell declared proudly, pointing his foot out to show off his handiwork before scooting himself onto the pew bench beside Esposito. 'Hi my Tessi.'

'Bubububub,' she replied and the little boy grinned.

'She gonna suh-tart talkin' soon?'

'Not too soon.'

The church was starting to fill up even more now, and Meredeth could see her grandmother with Alejhandro and Rosalita; she'd opted to come later with them since Meredeth and Esposito had to be at the church so early. The others from their family of friends were there too, and so were many people from the neighbourhood, though Meredeth knew they were more there for her in-laws.

The mass started and they took their seats, with Lanie and Ryan sitting up with them; despite his protestations he'd be good, Dell was not happy about having to sit with his mother away from Tessi. He quieted down but kept shooting his father nasty glares for the first half of the service. When the time came for the blessings on the baby and for the godparents to take their vows to protect young Tessi should anything befall her parents, Meredeth smiled as she watched her friends gently put their hands on Tessi's body. She may not have understood all of it, but this she did - it was a promise just like hers and Esposito's wedding vows.

When the ceremony was done, rather than file out to the sidewalk like Esposito knew the San Gabriel crowd usually did, they went into the reception room for a light lunch. His mother and sister and cousins had done most of the preparation work, which he knew Meredeth was more than happy to defer to them since they knew the taste of the crowd better. Moreover, he knew Meredeth wanted to hold her baby and show her off while Esposito did most of the talking since he knew more people here than she did.

What did have him a little confused was the little white wishing well on the table they'd set up for gifts. He recognized the parcels that his friends and immediate family had put on the table but the majority of them seemed to be dropping sealed envelopes into the white cardboard box.

After swallowing the last of a roast beef sandwich he'd kept in his mouth when he'd been cornered by his aunt Abigail who wanted to know how he'd managed to convince Father Paolo to have the baby christened without the mother converting too. Since Lili was there beside him, she jumped in to save him from the socio-theological debate he knew _tia_ Abby loved and Lili could argue far better than he. With a moment to breathe, he went over to Meredeth, who was drinking a glass of iced tea and holding Tessi close.

'She needs to be fed soon, and she needs her nap,' she said, after giving him a sweet, church-appropriate kiss.

'It won't be much longer. Mostly, this crowd just likes an excuse to gossip over tea and sandwiches.' Esposito took Tessi onto his knee so Meredeth could have both hands free for a snack herself. Hey, have you noticed that the wishing well is almost stuffed to bursting and yet there is like no gifts on the table?'

'I figured since they don't know me the way they know you, giving cash is a more appropriate gift,' Meredeth reasoned, catching a stray crumb of rye bread with her tongue. 'Nothing worse than giving someone who isn't religious a cross or a prayer book.'

'True enough. I told our friends clothes and gift-cards are always welcome.'

'The gold and crystal rosary from your parents is different, they're your parents, same with the little gold-cross earrings from Lili and Cam. They're family, they're blood relatives. But if I don't know someone and they give me a Bible, I...it doesn't feel right, you know?'

'I understand.'

'So what do you think we should do with all that cash?' she asked, curious now to see just how much there was in the little wishing well.

'I was thinking we should start a little savings account for Tessi. She can use it for college or trade school or arts academy, whatever she wants to be.'

'That sounds perfect.'

'A lovely service, Detective.'

Esposito looked up, blinked in a little surprise when he saw Montgomery there with a small box in his hand. 'Sir. I didn't think you'd make it.'

'We got here after the service started but we caught the main event. Here, a little something for your girl.'

Intrigued, Meredeth opened the box; her eyebrows lifted in delighted surprise as she pulled out a little angel pendant with blue and gold jeweled wings. 'Wow, this is wonderful, Captain, thank you.'

'I figured she might like that to wear when she comes to see her daddy get more medals as she grows up.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	31. First Daddy & Daughter Night

'So Tonio confronts Sonny Chiba over this new development of his relationship with Tabitha. But how far should his confession go, Tessi? That is our million dollar question.'

Meredeth looked up from her laptop at her daughter who was burbling happily in her swing-set. 'There's always one for every book I write.'

'Mumumumum,' Tessi replied, bouncing her palms on her knees.

'Very true, my littlest editor. Giving away the farm is never something a writer, or a lady, does.'

'Bububa.'

'That's right, a kiss is fine, even maybe a little prudish but better to be a prude than a slut.'

The door opened and closed behind them and Meredeth smiled when Arturo trotted over to Esposito. 'Hi, Javi.'

'Hey, baby.' He came over to give her a noisy kiss on the neck, then went to give Tessi a kiss. 'And baby. Gimme fifteen minutes for a shower and then I'm all yours.'

'Great. I'll save this and put on the iced tea.'

'Oh, now I love you even more.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

Esposito heaved a sigh of refreshed satisfaction as his skin dewed with beads from his steaming shower; it was a trait he'd picked up from Meredeth who showered till she was lobster red no matter what time of the year it was. Jogging downstairs, he grinned when he saw his girls on the floor with the baby mat stretched out for Tessi. Arturo, ever the good boy, kept his monstrous paws three inches from his young mistress' play area.

The last edges of his rather tense day ebbed away as he heard his wife laugh with his daughter, and Esposito finally understood how his partner did it, the tough cop in the box and the family man outside it. He'd had a suspect whom he'd spent two hours sweating with his partner and just before they'd gotten him to crack, their bozo suddenly realized he was about to turn into a snitch and cried lawyer. He'd remained cranky as he'd pushed through the rest of his paper work, then when he'd clocked out for the night, he turned on the radio in his car and the bouncy sound of the Beach Boys floated out of his speakers. The grin was inevitable, as the sound of them now made him immediately think of his daughter, and with that came the thought of going home to find her with Meredeth. The grin widened with the thought of holding his wife close to kiss her and give her ideas as to what they might do with their alone time once Tessi was tucked in for the night.

Had anyone told him five years before this would be his life, he might have laughed at them. Now Esposito couldn't imagine it any other way.

'Oh, Javi, come here, come here, look look look, she learned a new trick!'

'Really?'

'Yeah.' Meredeth waved him over and when Esposito parked himself on the floor beside her, she grinned. 'Look, Da, no hands!'

She let go her grasp on her daughter's little shoulders and to Esposito's paternal joy, Tessi stayed sitting up on her own. She wobbled a little on the spot, then leaned forward to prop her hands up near her tiny feet. He grabbed Meredeth's camera off the coffee table and snapped as many shots as he could.

'Tessi, you are sitting up all on your own! What a good girl!' Esposito looked up at Meredeth. 'Is this new?'

'Very, she just figured this out when you were having your shower.'

'Bubububub,' Tessi gurgled.

'She's trying to say 'rub-a-dub', I think she knows it's time for a bath,' he decided, scooping her up against his chest, then, re-thinking it, passed her to Meredeth. Give me five minutes, kay?'

'O...kay?' Confused but knowing that her strong hero cop was a total softie for their little girl, Meredeth gave him a ninety-second head start before she went upstairs to the nursery. 'What's Daddy up to?' she cooed, undressing Tessi for her bath.

A few more minutes passed and Esposito came into the room in his swimtrunks, a beach towel over his shoulder. 'Where's my little mermaid?'

'What are you up to?'

He grinned, taking the naked and squirming Tessi in his arms. '_Venaca_.'

The trio went into the bathroom, and Meredeth couldn't help making the goofy-mother face: he'd filled the tub with water at a Tessi-appropriate, no bubbles, and was lowering themselves down.

'My God, could you be any more of a yummy-daddy?' she told him. 'I think I just had a mommy-gasm.'

'Sshh. She isn't going to learn what one of those is for a long time.' Esposito winked, pretending to cover her ears.

'Seriously, Javi?'

Esposito scooped water into his hands, poured it over Tessi's fuzzy head which made her splutter a little. 'Seriously? I think in twenty-five years, she'll be beautiful and successful, and married to Dell Ryan. I have a feeling those two will turn out to be childhood sweethearts.'

'Okay, you say that, so now I want you to imagine our little girl is eighteen and he's twenty-one, and they are having a sleepover.'

'Ssh, you'll give her ideas,' he hissed with a playful smile, still hovering his hands over her little ears. 'Yes, you, ignore what Mommy just said,' he added when Tessi craned her neck backwards to look at her daddy. 'You won't know about those things until you're much, _much_ older.'

'She says, what are you in such a lather over, Daddy, I just want some bubbles in my hair.'

* * *

When he'd shampooed her hair and rinsed it off with Tessi giggling the entire time - she really was a water baby - Esposito had put on dry sleep-pants and shooed Meredeth downstairs. He knew she wanted to get some work done, and he wanted the one-on-one time with his little girl, so he decided it would be another first tonight - their first bedtime story.

Holding her expertly against him, he picked up a book from the shelf and settled into the comfy wife armchair beside her crib.

'Okay, Miss Tessi-boo, we are going to read- oh!' he gasped dramatically 'Doctor Seuss' ABC. This looks like fun.'

Esposito cleared his throat and opened the book, began to read to his daughter. 'Big A, little a, what begins with A? Aunt Annie's Alligator.'

They made it as far as the letter M, when he saw that Tessi's eyes were starting to droop and she was leaning more and more to the left, so he put the book on the armchair, and carefully picked Tessi up, gave her a goodnight kiss as he tucked her in.

'Night-night, my little princess, Daddy loves you very much. We'll get to the letter Zed tomorrow, I promise.'

He left the door open for Arturo, as he'd made the mistake one night of closing it and Meredeth had woken in a blind panic to the noise of the dog whining at Tessi's nursery door. She'd opened the door to have him trot in and plunk all one hundred and two pounds of himself beside her crib. He headed downstairs and felt his heart stop when he saw his beautiful wife lying on the couch naked but for the cotton shorts she favoured in hot weather.

'Hello, Meredeth,' he breathed, stretching himself out on top of her.

'Hello Javier.'

He kissed her, then because he could, just lay his temple against her breasts, felt her smooth arms come around his shoulders. 'Any reason you're lying here topless or is it just to tempt me?'

'I spilled iced tea on my shirt so I tossed it in the wash basin. I'm a spilly drinker when I'm tired.'

'You got a lot done tonight?'

'Yep. Almost ready for my meeting with Kristof next week.' She paused. 'We'll need a sitter for Tessi.'

'I'm thinking that partner o'mine's racked up his fair share with me, we should trade off.' Esposito nuzzled against his wife. 'I like this. Just this, for now.'

'Me too. There's something fun about being mostly naked without jumping right to the sexy.'

'The lack of sexy makes it hot.'

'Is this like some kind of one hand clapping thing?'

'All cuteness aside, Mere, I'm so proud of you.' Esposito walked his fingers up her body. 'You are rockin' the mom thing.'

'And you are rockin' the daddy thing. Which reminds me. Do you think we should invest in a safe for your gun?'

'It is in a safe spot.' He sat up, tapped the table behind the couch. 'This is out of her reach and it's locked.'

'What about your back-up in your bedside table? I'm not saying it should be a titanium vault but maybe a secure box for inside the drawer?'

'I'll ask Ryan and Gil what they've got.'

Esposito grinned, laid his lips on the curve of her breast as she continued, 'I was thinking, Tessi got to get wet with you, but now Mommy wants her turn with Daddy.'

'And Daddy wouldn't mine following through on that Mommy-gasm.'

'In that case...' Meredeth wiggled her hips, shimmied out of her shorts so she was completely naked underneath him. 'I'll get the bubbles.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	32. First Night Away

Meredeth stared at her packed suitcase with equal parts anxiety and excitement. It was August twenty-ninth, a day before her anniversary and she was about to leave her baby for the first time on an overnight.

'Mere? You all set baby?'

'I think so.' She looked over at her husband, who'd just gotten out of his post-shift shower at home and was tugging on his clothes. He'd already packed the day before so that all they had to do was wait for their friends to get to the house and he could leave for their trip up to their spot for their anniversary.

'Nervous about leaving Tessi?'

'I'm nervous about being far away from her if there's a problem.'

'If there is, we're a phone call away, and remember not only is Lanie a doctor but Dave's a paramedic whose specialty is responding to mothers, babies and children in distress.'

'You're telling me you're not the least bit nervous about goin away from our princess for two nights?'

'Oh, I'm freaking out too, which is why I'm doing to do this.' Esposito held up his cell phone. 'You are hanging onto this and I'm taking yours. We each get three check-ins from the time we pull away from the curb tonight to check-out time on Sunday morning.'

'And how is this going to be effective?'

'Because then I'm not calling home to Dave going, what's she doing now, and you won't be able to do the same to Lanie. Besides,' he added, 'we're doing the spa thing tomorrow afternoon and they don't allow cellphones in there anyways.'

'Oh, now you've done it.' Meredeth shook her head. 'Like I'll be able to relax without having it nearby in case of emergency.'

'You also thought you'd spend the entire plane trip to Puerto Rico calming a freaked out baby, and Tessi was all, go away, lemme nap Mommy.' Esposito kissed his bride, smiled at her. 'Besides, I'm sure Tessi's just dying to play Dance Dance Revolution on your Wii, or in her case, Crawl-Crawl Revolution.'

'Dammit, you're being too cute for me to be freaking out.' Meredeth kissed him back as she heard her daughter stirring in the nursery. 'Okay, you take the luggage and my purse downstairs, I'll feed the baby.'

Twenty minutes later - Tessi really was getting the feeding time down to a science, ten minutes per boob - Meredeth took her little girl down into the living room and put her on the floor for some tummy time to wait for the Parrish-Robbinses to arrive, with Esposito catching some random at home moments on the video camera.

'She's got a full belly and...' Esposito paused as he watched the little girl wiggling her hips and began to move across her blanket. 'Mere, Mere she's crawling, look!'

'What?' Meredeth looked over from where she was fishing Arturo's rope-toy from under the armchair and saw the movement of Tessi across the pale green expanse of cloth. 'Javi! Oh my god, Tessi! Look at you go!'

It was more of a commando style belly squirm but they'd once again captured a first on tape. She stopped and looked around at her parents and gave them each a wide charming grin.

'Who's my precious baby girl?' Setting the camera down, Esposito scooped her up, gave her a cheek-ruffling kiss that made Tessi squeal in delight. 'You are, yes you are.'

There was a knock on the door, and Meredeth scrambled up to let Lanie, Dave and Carey in. 'You guys, you just missed it! Tessi was crawling for the first time!'

'Oh that's so exciting!'

'She was pulling herself along the carpet with her arms and wiggling her little tushy. It was so precious.'

'Tushy,' Carey giggled, going over to the bottom stairs to sit down; he stuck out his foot for his daddy to unfasten his Velcro'd sandal. 'Tizzy tushy.'

'Everyone's got one, son. Oh, great recommendation on the caterer, Mere,' Dave added, sending Carey into the living room with a friendly pat on the behind. 'We decided to go with them for the wedding.'

'Let's see, there's enough milk in the fridge and the freezer for Tessi for the weekend. If she's asleep in her crib, you have to leave the nursery door open so Arturo can go in. Emergency numbers are on the fridge, along with the resort number, and of course there's our cells. Oh, and the-'

'Mere.' Lanie smiled with motherly understanding; she remembered this feeling when she had gone with Dave for a night out to a movie just the two of them when Carey was three months old. She walked her friend by the elbows towards the front door. 'It's okay. Go, have fun with your husband. Having your anniversary weekend for yourself doesn't make you bad parents. Besides, you'll be having too much sex to think straight anyways,' she added in a murmur that made Meredeth snicker. 'We'll trade dirty details about it on New Year's Day when I'm a married lady too.'

'Deal. Oh!' Meredeth snapped her fingers, turned back to face both Lanie and Dave, the latter of whom now had Tessi in his arms. 'Do not, under any circumstances, bathe Tessi in the kitchen sink. I know so many parents do that, but-'

'Nope, I agree, it's disgusting,' Dave replied.

'Okay, I think that's it.' Suddenly a little choked up, Meredeth went over to Tessi and gave her a kiss. 'Bye-bye my princess, Mommy loves you and will see you soon.'

'No wild parties, no overseas calls, and tell me all the naughty things your babysitters did when they thought you weren't watching,' Esposito added, also giving Tessi a smooch. 'Love you, Tessiana.'

'Bye you guys, have fun,' Lanie chuckled, closing the door behind them.

Inside the Nissan, Meredeth looked up at the house and pulled away from the curb, sniffling and swiping at her eyes a little bit.

'Mere, you okay to drive?' Esposito asked.

'Uh-huh, it gives me something to focus on, okay?'

'Okay.'

'Tell me about this case you're working through.'

* * *

They chatted all the way up to the cabin and by the time they got there, both new parents' anxiety over leaving their little girl in the care of their family was pushed away as they entered their truly posh and luxurious suite. Constance had never been one to skimp on the frills when giving gifts and this promised not to disappoint: there was a kitchen, a sitting room, a walk-in closet and separate baths for the jacuzzi soaker tub and smoked glass shower, each with its own toilet. In the fridge - not a bar fridge, a full-sized cold-box - was a bottle of champagne, fresh fruit and most incongruously, a tub of whipped cream.

In the bedroom the air smelled enticingly of the islands owing to the candles on every available surface. Silk rose petals in a rainbow of colours were scattered over the turned down sheets and in the middle of the bed was a note; though it wasn't her writing, it had Constance all over it: _Happy Anniversary kids! Enjoy your first Tessi-free night to its fullest! Love Momo._

'So...what should we do first?' Esposito asked, flicking an eyebrow at his wife.

'Well, we can start in the kitchen and work our way back here. I am kind of hungry and I could go for some fruit and whipped cream,' she purred back, wrapping her arms around his waist. 'Tell you what, why don't you take a nice hot shower and think some dirty thoughts while I get our snack ready?'

'I like it already.'

Esposito went into the bath with the shower stall in it, and pulled out from his shaving kit a little travel-sized bottle of pure coconut-milk soap. He knew his woman well, and knew that their go-to sexy fragrance for the really naughty times together was coconut. It had sprang, he remembered fondly, from the first night he'd stayed over at her apartment in Yorkville near Spanish Harlem. He'd beaten her but good at _Halo_ and the spoils for his victory had been a back massage with extra-virgin coconut oil. Now whenever he scented the island treat

He stepped out of the smoked glass stall and rubbed himself dry because he'd figured out that while shower sex and water sex were pretty hot, wet skin on a dry bed was not. He thought about walking in naked to the bedroom, but he liked the mystery of leaving a towel on.

When he stepped into the room he was very glad he'd remained a little covered.

'Happy anniversary, Javier.'

Meredeth was lying on her side, in what Esposito had always thought of as 'the playboy pose', elbow on the bed and her head against her palm while her other hand rested on her thigh. She was wearing a black-lace shelf bra that made her breasts look even more fantastical and her very tiny panties were matching black lace; attached were thin ribbons of black satin that hooked onto lace-topped sheer black stockings with tiny cherry-pink bows were the garters met the lace.

'You feel like a snack?' She dipped two fingers into the bowl of whipped cream in front of her, licked the middle one, then used her index to dab it over the tops of her breast.

'Uh-huh.'

After that night, Esposito knew he'd never look at another strawberry again without blushing.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	33. First Shock

_Hello Crumbsian fans. This chapter and the next are very sad ones as we have our characters face a death in the family so read with tissues at the ready._

* * *

'Momo, that's so mean!'

'It's honest.'

'I'm sure Terrance isn't that bad a driver.'

On her end of the phone, Constance laughed. 'Oh my girl, you're married to a cop, you should know what wild driving is like, so multiply it by ten, and then you'll have the hell Terrance and I endured on the drive back from the coast. I've still got that nagging headache from being stuck on the parkway, you know I can't sleep in a car.'

'Why don't you take something for it, lie down for a little while? I'm sure Terrance doesn't a few Constance-free hours.'

'I think that's excellent advice my girl. Give my love to that beautiful baby and your young man for me, okay? I love you very much, pige.'

'Love you too, Momo.'

Meredeth smiled, shook her head as she hung up the phone, then plucked Tessi's morning bottle from the bowl of water it was warming in. Her grandmother refused to grow up, and Meredeth hoped when she reached the age of...whatever it was her grandmother was now, she'd lost track of the actual year she was still as vivacious and energetic as her. Right now, she'd settle for not needing a mid afternoon nap just like her daughter.

'I swear to God, Constance is Martha Rodgers long-lost twin,' she commented as Esposito came in the kitchen, dressed for work and adjusting his tie. 'Those two never grew up, or they did for a little bit and then grew back into teenagers.'

'Why, what's she up to now?'

'Oh nothing, just getting back from a weekend with Terrance at Busch Gardens in Tampa Bay, and rather than stay an extra night and drive home this morning, they drove all night from Tampa back to Miami.'

'Is she nuts? No, wait, strike that, she's nuts by default.'

'It's where I get it from,' Meredeth agreed. 'Anyways, she's thinking of coming up around Columbus Day with Terrance.'

'Sounds good. I have to work overtime that weekend to get Hallowe'en free and clear, but I know you like to visit with her one-on-one.'

'It'll be the first time she's been up since Tessi's christening, I'm looking forward to it. Maybe we can take Tessi to see a game at Shea Stadium! She can wear the little Mets hat you bought her.'

'Mere, we all know if a New York baseball team is going to make it to the playoffs, it'll be the...Evil Empire,' Esposito corrected himself before he let the Y-word slip. It was almost as bad as the F-bomb in their house, just like the Ottawa Senators during the Stanley Cup finals. 'It sucks but it's true. How do I look?'

He did a little catwalk spin for his wife and daughter; Tessi grinned and babbled in her swing-set and Meredeth wolf-whistled.

'Very hot, Detective, why the fancy threads?'

'Chief's inspection this morning. The captain is nominated for a promotion to One Police Plaza and the chief is coming to do a tour of the precinct.'

'Good luck. You have your lunch?'

'Such a hot mama. It's already to go. Gimme one for good luck,' he said, smiled when Meredeth kissed him warmly. 'What are you and Tessi doing today?'

'I thought we'd take a trip into Turtle Bay and do some shopping. She's going to need winter wear before very long.'

'Don't say that, it's only September seventh.'

'And I want to pick out a Hallowe'en costume for her too. Castle's arranged to take Dell, Rosie, Carey, Kelley and Tessi trick-or-treating in his building and then when they go to bed, the grown-ups get to party.'

'That's so sweet.' Esposito cursed inwardly when his phone rang; once Tessi was born Meredeth had transformed into an early riser and Esposito liked the early morning moments they were getting to have together now. 'Esposito,' he answered, then nodded. 'Got it, I'll meet you there in ten.'

'Fresh body?'

'Yeah, and it's my turn to bring the coffee.'

'Here.' Meredeth pulled a second bottle of iced tea from the fridge; she knew it was Ryan's favourite. 'Ryan'll appreciate this more, I think.'

'Thanks, Mere. Love you.'

'Love you too.'

'And I love you too Tessi,' he added, kissing his daughter's fuzzy noggin. 'I'll see you tonight for dinner. Maybe, if it goes well for the Captain, we'll be having a Castle celebration dinner out tonight.'

* * *

By the time Ryan and Esposito had made it to the precinct, the chief had been and gone, leaving everyone abuzz. If Captain Montgomery was up for promotion and got the nod, then who would take over in his place, was the key question. Some speculated it would be Detective Beckett, but Esposito knew she wasn't inclined just yet to become a captain. She was one of the Twelfth's top investigators, she loved being on the streets, even when she bitched about the cold or the unhelpful masses. Thus the other front runner in this hypothetical horse-race was Detective-Inspector Nicholas Samuels, who was a slightly higher rank than Beckett and had more years people managing than she did. Odds were he'd get the spot and Beckett would be promoted to give her more squad-management practice before she took over that mantle Montgomery was priming and training her for.

All of this, of course, contingent on whether or not Montgomery got the nomination. There were so many what-ifs in cop work, he thought, as he combed through the financial information they'd received on their victim. Not just on the job case-solving what-ifs but bureaucratic ones too, and it was part of the reason Esposito liked to stay at his rank. Not that he didn't want the pay-raise but he also knew that he wasn't cut out for the politics that governed One Police Plaza; all he wanted to do was catch the bad guys, make sure they stayed in prison because he did his paperwork right, and go home to his wife and daughter and friends at the end of the day.

'Delilah Cogburn, where are we?' Beckett asked, leaving her murder board to wander over to Esposito's desk.

'Finishing up financial data. She had three pops on her credit card prior to her death...and one afterward.'

'That is very interesting. Any reports of a stolen card?'

'Visa people are wiring the file as we speak.'

'Excellent.'

'So, any word on Montgomery's chances?' Ryan wandered up with two coffees in hand, passed one to his partner. 'Will we be calling you captain soon?'

'Guys, come on, he's one of six captains being considered in the entire of NYPD. And if he was promoted, it'd mean he leaves us here.'

'Oh yeah. Didn't think of that.' Ryan pouted a little. It was like having your favourite teacher move schools when respected senior officers were promoted. 'New topic, please.'

Castle strolled over, reaching into his inside jacket pocket and pulling out tickets. He'd caught the request for a new conversation topic. 'Then how about this? Thanks to my lovely hell-on-heels agent Paula, I have tickets to take myself and one of you for an on-set visit to _Dallas, Lieutenant Eve_.'

'Give me the ticket,' Esposito said. 'Meredeth loves that series and I would get major cool points for it.'

'No, give me the ticket, Esposito's married to a celebrity as it is,' Ryan pointed out.

'Excuse me, why don't _I_ get the ticket?' Beckett popped up off of her butt, hands on hips. 'I'm your wife, Castle,' she started, then coloured in her cheeks when Ryan and Esposito wolf-whistled.

'Now that's calling in the heavy artillery.'

'Wow, busting out the W-bomb and at work no less. You must really want to go!'

'Actually, Katie-Lou, my ever-last love, the only day she could score these two passes for was the eighteenth and you mentioned that's the court date for the McGovern grand jury, no?'

'Oh, dammit! Alright, it's down to you two animals...and Lanie,' she added with a grin; she knew her girl would jump at the chance to be on a Hollywood set. 'Besides, Big Rick here already promised me I would get to do a cameo in the next Nikki Heat movie so on-set passes is kinda small potatoes.'

'Very well. Present your cases to me in an hour and I'll make a decision. Is there coffee?'

Castle turned to leave, but Ryan was there blocking his path. 'Castle, Castle, Castle, I'll do whatever you want me to for those passes. Jenny would love to go.'

'So you're comfortable with Jenny and me together in a limo to and from set?'

'A limo?'

'Didn't I mention Paula's hooked us up with a limo?'

The argument devolved into Ryan pleading and offering suggestions of all sorts; the boys were so into it they hadn't even noticed Esposito's phone-line ring until he was shushing them in a harsh voice as his face went pale as chalk.

'Mere, Mere, calm down, I can't understand you, is Tessi okay...then what...no...oh, God, Mere, what happened...okay, no, I'll be right home.'

All the fun comaraderie of Castle's game was gone and all three looked at him with concern. 'Javier, what's going on?' Beckett asked hesitantly.

'Meredeth's grandmother died.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	34. First Grief

No one said anything for a few seconds, as Esposito just stared at his phone.

'I need to go. I have to go home to her.' He sprang out of his chair, grabbed his jacket.

'I'll drive you.' Castle stood up as well. 'Kate, you'll talk to the captain?'

'Of course.'

Ryan and Beckett watched the men go, then turned to each other. Both had met Constance and loved her, it was impossible not to; she was like having another Martha Rodgers around, so full of life and vitality. Then, Ryan got another jolt when Beckett pulled him in for a quick hug, patting him on the back.

'We'll go over, as soon as we can,' she murmured. 'Right now, we need to focus.'

'Right.' Ryan gave his commanding officer a pat on the shoulder, then eased back. 'I'm going to call Jenny.'

'Yeah, good idea. I'm heading to the morgue anyways, I'll let Lanie know what's up.'

Both turned away to do their duties, all the while thinking of their friend.

* * *

'Mere?'

Esposito was through the front door and calling for his wife before Castle could shut it behind him. On impulse he went upstairs to the bedroom and stopped short when he saw Meredeth curled in a ball on her side, tissues strewn around her in a little line of defense. Her eyes were bloodshot and puffy, streaming with tears she made no attempt to staunch. She lifted her head off the pillows when she saw him.

'Javi,' she wept and he was at her side in an instant, cradling her in his arms.

'Shh, shh, Javi's here.'

'She died, Javi. She's gone.'

'I know, my love.'

Castle numbly watched the couple grieve together, Esposito swiping at his eyes as he rocked Meredeth as gently as he would Tessi. It was so sudden, was all he could think. Constance was like having another version of his mother around when there were big family events.

When he had a little of it out, Esposito asked, 'What happened Mere?'

'Terrance called me, about twelve, said he couldn't get my grandmother to wake from her nap so he'd called the paramedics and they were taking her to the hospital. He said he'd call me when he had news of any kind, so I was playing with Tessi, and just after I put her down, he called back and...and...' Meredeth began to weep again, turning her face into her husband's shoulder.

'It's alright, Mere, just take a breath.'

'Terrance called back and said that she was gone. She had an aneurysm in her sleep, so she felt no pain.' Meredeth broke down again, crying so hard she began to cough a little. 'She's gone, Javi. My Momo's gone.'

The sound of Tessi stirring through the baby monitor had Meredeth sitting upright. 'Oh God, Tessi, I have to-'

'I got it.' Without another word, Castle went into the nursery and they heard him soothe the fussing infant while Esposito stayed with Meredeth, his hand moving over her back in wide supportive circles.

'Do you have to go to Florida for making the...arrangements?'

'No. It was in her will that she wanted to be...buried in New York, next to my grandfather and my mother. She moved to Miami but her heart is here. Terrance said he's going to call my aunts and let them know I'm doing the funeral arrangements.'

Meredeth paused. 'Her body won't be here until Thursday because they want...they have to do an autopsy to confirm cause of death.' The idea of her grandmother being sliced and diced on a cold metal table had her tears starting up again. 'Jesus, Javi.'

'I know, Mere, I know.' Esposito kissed her temple. 'Whatever you need, I'm here for you.'

'I love you.'

'I love you.'

'Just stay with me, here, for a few moments, okay?'

'I'll spend all day here if you need it.'

* * *

Downstairs, Castle sat in the armchair in the living while Tessi nursed the bottle he'd warmed in the bowl of hot water. The TV was on as much for distraction as anything else.

'Drink up, Tessi, that's a good girl,' he murmured, then glanced over when he saw Esposito come down the stairs, his handsome face ravaged with grief. 'How's she doing?'

'About as well as you'd expect, in other words a total mess.' Esposito plunked down onto the sofa, scratched Arturo's chin when he wandered over. 'God, she was just on the phone with her this morning, I even said a quick hello when the phone rang.'

'I have no idea what to say, Javier.' Castle shifted, adjusted Tessi so she could continue her bottle. 'I really don't.'

There was a knock on the door, which had Arturo scrambling up to see who'd gotten past his guard; Castle passed Tessi to her daddy and answered it himself. He wasn't at all surprised to see a gaggle of people from the Twelfth there - Ryan, Beckett, Lanie, even Gil Mazzara, along with Dave and Robina.

'Hey guys,' he said dully as they filed in, all with flowers they came in and set on the coffee table. 'Esposito's feeding Tessi in the living room and Meredeth's upstairs. I don't think she's up for company just yet.'

'That's fine, we can wait,' Lanie said in her no-nonsense tone, sitting on the floor beside Dave and petting Arturo's thick neck.

'Javi, your espresso machine, how many does it make at a time?' Beckett asked.

'Three, and there's the regular coffee maker as well.'

'On it.'

'I'll give you a hand.'

'Espo, talk to us, what happened?' Ryan leaned forward, elbows on his knees. 'Did she have an accident?'

'No. According to Meredeth, she was complaining of a headache this morning when they were talking on the phone, around quarter to seven, give or take, and she was going to have a nap. Then Terrance called Meredeth and said he couldn't wake her up from her rest so he called the paramedics. By the time they got to he hospital, she was gone. They, ah, suspect an aneurysm. And she went in her sleep, so the small blessing is she had no pain.'

'Christ Almighty.' Dave shook his head. 'Is Meredeth going to Miami to look after things?'

'No. Constance's will had all the provisions necessary but the body can't be released until...until the examine it for cause of death,' he got out before he felt his own grief start again. Just like when he'd had his emotional snap after Tessi's birth, no one said a word until he had regained a little of his composure. 'I'm sorry, I-'

'No, there's no need to apologize for your grief, Javi.' Castle shook his head. 'You want me to take Tessi upstairs?'

'It's okay, I've got it.' He needed the routine of putting his daughter in her bed for her nap, and left with the cooing five-month-old in his arms.

When Tessi was out like a light, he tiptoed into the bedroom and saw Meredeth was still awake and staring at the wall. 'Mere, baby,' he murmured, sitting down beside her, 'our friends are here.'

'Who.'

'Ryan and Beckett, Lanie and Dave, Gil and Castle. Tessi's napping and they've made coffee downstairs, if you want to come down.'

'Okay.'

Linking his hand so their fingers threaded, Esposito walked her downstairs and Meredeth felt the next wave of emotion hit her when she saw the living room full of people; all of them were there for no other reason than concern for her and her family.

Robina was the first one to reach her, and held her tightly. 'Mere, I'm so sorry, baby girl.'

'Thanks, Robina,' she replied in a watery voice.

'Here.' She lead Meredeth over to the couch, where Ryan had scooted over to make room for the shell-shocked couple. 'Whatever you need, we are here for you, Mere. Whether you need some tissues or a drink or help with Tessi or the house, all you need to do is ask us.'

'Thank you, really. I can't...I can't wrap my head around it, I was on the phone with her six hours ago and now...They have to perform an autopsy, to make sure they have the right cause of death.'

'Oh sweetie.' Now it was Lanie who reached over, gripped her hand tightly. 'It's never easy to deal with but it's the only way to know for sure what happened.'

'I know, I know, but...she's my Momo.'

Meredeth's small, child-like voice had everyone sniffling now, even Beckett and Gil as they brought in trays of coffee; Beckett herself passed Meredeth a cup of tea.

'No milk, two sugar. I remember.'

'Thanks.' Meredeth sipped, let the hot liquid flow into her body, then set the mug down to pull her hands through her hair as she forced her brain to work a little bit through the shock. 'The...services won't be until Friday. Momo didn't want a big church service, just something simple.'

'We'll be there.' Off Esposito's nod, Ryan pulled Meredeth in for a supportive embrace. 'We'll all be there.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	35. First Goodbye

On Friday morning, Meredeth awoke with a sombreness she hadn't felt since she was a child. Even that grief had been easier to handle, for it was understood that when her mother had gone to war, there was a chance she wouldn't come back. But most of the time when people laid down for a morning nap, they were going to wake up.

Her friends and family had been amazing. Rosalita had come down from the bakery and stayed the week with them, helping to cook and clean and take care of Tessi while Meredeth dealt with the necessary details, leaving Alejo in charge of the bakery. Lanie and Ryan had gone with them to the funeral parlour and florist to make the arrangements for the services, and Castle had arranged for a post-burial reception at a small restaurant near the cemetery. . Lili, Lanie, Beckett and Honey-Milk had all taken her shopping to get the requisite shitty black clothes she'd never have to wear again, and if she'd started crying in the middle of the store, they'd passed her tissues and helped her through it. The men, likewise had taken Esposito to get a suit he could just toss away once the day was over and had determined amongst themselves that Esposito, Ryan, Castle, Dave, Gil and Constance's son-in-law Hans from Copenhagen would be pallbearerswith Cam in his military best as her honour guard.

Everyone had been present at Meredeth's request during the reading of her will the afternon prior to the service, though there were no surprises there. Constance had left almost everything, minus a few specific requests, to Meredeth, which included seed money for a retirement account for Esposito and a trust fund of nearly five-hundred thousand dollars for Tessi and future children to save for college. She'd also left money to the Twelfth Precinct's survivor's fund, the pediatric ward at Saint Vincent's hospital and the Church of San Gabriel; the last one made Meredeth scratch her head a little, until she heard the added note that while she did not have any religion, she respected family tradition, and wanted that tradition of Esposito's to remain strong.

Floral tributes arrived at the house almost hourly and some weren't just from Constance's old friends and colleagues but also from people she worked with as well as Esposito's family. Her Twitter page had crashed from the influx of support and prayers; Mila Chaka and Milo Ventimiglia had even called her after seeing the Twitter posts to offer condolences personally.

And when Meredeth had just been too overwhelmed with everything, she'd only to look down to see her husband's hand gripping hers in support.

Meredeth looked over at him, still asleep in bed and just watched him breathing in and out. He was so warm and comforting, yet such an exciting man. His humour and strength, his sense of honour and his unwavering morale compass, all of it made him her Javier Jimeno and she knew the only way to love him more was to split into two people to do it.

He shifted, blinked the sleep out of his eyes as his hand moved in a circle to try and find her. The tough cop was a cuddly sleeper, a near-perfect symbolism of just how fascinating he was. He sat up when he saw her sitting on the end of the bed.

'Hey, babe. You been awake long?'

Meredeth nodded. 'I couldn't sleep.'

'Were you having a nightmare?' Concerned, he scooted closer. 'Do you think you need to see your shrink?'

'No, just negative anticipation. I want to wake up and get this thing done, you know?'

'I know. It's never easy to say good-bye, and can't be any easier to wait to do it. What time is the service set to begin?'

'Ten. It's almost seven now and the man performing the service said we need to be there for about nine.'

'Okay. You want the shower first?'

'Yes. I'll need the time to blow-dry my hair.'

Esposito watched her go, a zombie-shadow of his Meredeth, set to auto-pilot. Tossing aside the duvet, he passed into the nursery to see Tessi just waking up.

'Hey there princess. Our queen's in mourning and she needs us. So what do you say we do our best to make sure she gets through this?' He held out his fingertips and teared up a little when Tessi inadvertently returned his feed-the-birds. 'It's a deal.'

* * *

'It was a lovely service.'

'Yeah, it was.'

'She would have loved all those flowers. Momo loved to garden. She said it was the one time where she could go and things would make sense when life got too crazy for her.'

'Kinda like the way you have your cooking.'

Meredeth nodded, stirred the cranberry punch in her glass. She didn't want a drop of alcohol, not yet, until they were back home. The services, and that was the only way she knew how to last the day without breaking completely was calling them that instead of the F-word, had been simple and private, only Meredeth's friends and family were there, along with Esposito's parents and Martha; even Chin and Anna were there with their husband and wife respectively. Riki and Hans had flown in from Copenhagen and Meredeth had felt more than a little weird seeing her aunt, as Riki was her mother's twin. Dwelling on that made things creepy as well as depressing. Her other aunt had, as per the will, been at the wake only and not the burial owing to what had happened when Meredeth was a little girl in her care.

'Hey girl.'

Lanie sat down beside Meredeth, put Carey on her knee. 'How you holding up?'

'Fine, I suppose. I'm not hungry just yet.'

'I didn't think you would be. Food at funerals creeps me out, it's like your uncle died, have a crab cake Weird.'

'Merry sad?' Carey asked his mother in a little voice. 'Tears?'

'Yes, baby she's sad.'

'Oh.' Carey wriggled out of his mother's hold and hugged Meredeth around the knees. 'No sad.'

'Thanks Carey,' Meredeth managed a small smile for the toddler. 'He's getting big.'

'He is. Where's Tessi at?'

'Lili has her, she wanted me and Javi to have a little breathing time.'

'Oh, of course. Carey, let's go find Daddy, okay?'

The two of them wandered off, and Meredeth sighed heavily as she leaned against her husband. 'I feel numb. I can't figure it out.'

'Then don't try to just now, my love. Just deal with it as it comes. Look, here comes someone who is guaranteed to make you smile.'

Meredeth glanced up and saw Ryan, Honey-Milk and Dell in their mourning black, looking as depressed as she felt. Dell, being the charming toddler even in such a bleak moment, immediately climbed into Meredeth's lap.

'Here, Meredeth.' He reached into his pocket and pulled out a little white Kleenex, dabbed at her cheeks. 'I make the tears go away.'

'Isn't that my job, little bro,' Esposito teased the little boy and Dell nodded.

'You moosh Meredeth, make her suh-mile. That your job.'

'Mere, if there's anything you need at all, don't hesitate to ask. In fact,' Honey-Milk glanced up at Ryan and nodded. 'We'd like to have Tessi for an over-night at our place so you two can get out and go dancing or shoot some pool or whatever you need to do to just get out and have some fun after this is all concluded, okay?'

'Thanks Jenn. And thank you too Dell, for your tissue,' she added, givign him a squeezing hug.

Dell leaned in and gave Meredeth a little peck on the cheek. 'Don' suh-tay sad, Meredeth. Javi moosh Meredeth for a smile.'

'If you insist.'

Esposito leaned in and gave Meredeth a small, sweet kiss, so kind and tender Meredeth felt her lips genuinely curve up at the gesture. 'There, how's that?'

'Good. See you soon, Meredeth. I go find my Tessi.'

Meredeth watched him go, then turned to Esposito and blurted out, 'can we have everyone at our place for a barbecue for dinner tonight? Like around eight or so? We can put the kids in the guest rooms for sleeping or on cots in the nursery.'

'Of course Mere.' He was a little taken aback by the sudden idea, but understood it more when she added, 'the house we live in, that was my grandmother's place before it was mine and she wouldn't want it empty and lonely with just us there being sad. She'd want it full of people laughing and celebrating her life, telling stories about her. But just the people from the Twelfth, and your parents, and Martha. I don't want Riki or Hans or Terrence there.'

'Okay. I'll go talk to Castle since he seems to be in charge of herding people.'

Esposito kissed her hand lightly, and found Castle talking to Robina and Lili; his sister passed him Tessi when she saw him there. 'Meredeth wants to have everyone at the house for dinner tonight,' he said, explaining what Meredeth had told him. To his surprise and the first bit of happiness he'd felt all week, the others nodded in agreement.

'That sounds lovely,' Castle agreed. 'We'll all bring something, you just worry about your girls.'

'Thanks, bro. I know it's short notice, but-'

'Hey, we're family. We've got each other's backs.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	36. First Footings

_Hello all, I'm glad the sadness chapters were received and to make it up to you, I've put three little moments into one chapter to keep our timeline moving because the final two chapters of Midnight Kisses can't be written until we reach New Year's Eve in Rookie Year. As always, pass the word and share the love! _

* * *

'Hey, how's Meredeth doing with everything?'

'Really well. There are some moments when it just rears up and gets her but for the most part, she's doing well.' Esposito scanned the bank of cameras in their surveillance van. It had been a month since Constance's passing and they were finally all back on some solid ground. He knew from his own experiences with grief that it went in cycles and there would be good and bad days mixed together, but there had been a week of good days all in a row, which Esposito took as a sign that Meredeth was beginning to heal. 'I think the fact that it was so sudden helped, in a twisted way, that it wasn't some drawn out illness. It's a clean blow, you know?'

Ryan nodded. 'I've been there, with my dad and his heart thing? Waiting is hell.'

'And both of us have been through having kids, we know the torture of watching and waiting while your wife is in pain.'

'Jenny and I are having another one.'

The news, stated so casually, had Esposito choking on his coffee. 'You've having another one? When?'

'I mean since Dell's health is under control now, we're trying again.'

'I don't know if I'd use the word _again_, since you didn't really try to have Dell in the first place, but I see you point.'

Esposito shook his head, wondering if they'd be going through all the same tricks once more with Ryan's wife being pregnant, when his cell chirped _Good Vibrations _at him. He picked up with a grin. 'Hey, Mere, how's my queen and my princess?'

'Motoring around. She's started crawling for real now, like moving on her hands and knees across the carpet!'

'No shit! That's amazing, you got it on video?'

'Of course, and you'll get to see it when you come home, too.'

'Wow, that's just...wow.' Esposito held up a finger as Ryan mouthed _what is it_ at him. 'I'll be home as soon as I can after work, okay? I love you.'

'Love you too.'

'What's Tessi doing now?' Ryan asked, making notes as he saw one of their witnesses enter the building they were watching.

'She's crawling, like for real crawling on all fours, not just pulling herself along with her arms.' Esposito grinned, then narrowed his eyes as he watched the on-screen footage. It time for Javi the proud papa to go away and Detective Esposito to put on his investigative hat. 'Possible movement here. See that guy, in the leather jacket and sneakers?'

Esposito hit the comm-button to dial Beckett's radio. 'Beckett, we got suspicious movement, possible target, send in soft.'

'Witness is out, move in one unit,' was the crackled response from Beckett's radio.

'Let's go to work, big daddy,' Ryan said with a fierce grin as they strapped on their Kevlar.

* * *

It felt so good to have a hot shower after a long day of nothing but mommy-ness, Meredeth thought as she spat out water like a fountain. She had gone to the park with Tessi, Honey-Milk and Dell, and Dave and Carey in order to give the trio of crime-fighters time to work in Chelsea on their case which was needing all the overtime they could take, so Esposito's day off wasn't really a day off at all. But she knew how much this case was getting to both him and Ryan, as they had their man Officer Geoffs still undercover with their only witness who refused to work with anyone but him because Geoffs no more looked a cop than Hitler did a fairy princess.

They'd played in the park and Dell and Carey had had great fun with their baby; though Carey was far more subtle about it, he was just as fiercely protective when it came to Tessi's well-being. When a four-year-old Dell knew from the Saint Vincent pre-school wandered over, Dell had all but read him the three-year-old riot act about playing nicely with 'his Tessi', Carey adding 'Tessi ve-wee li'l' for good measure. By the time they'd gotten home near sundown after being out for the whole day, Meredeth took her first private moments of the day in her 'think-tank'.

Now that she'd had some time to decompress, all she wanted was a family night with her boy, her girl, and her dog playing in the living room or something. Hair brushed and redressed in her fall pjs, Meredeth headed downstairs to find Esposito feeding Tessi in her high-chair another major milestone reached - they'd begun to introduce soft cereals and discovered she would only eat them if they were mixed with bright coloured food purees - she favoured soft baby oatmeal with strawberries or baby cereal sweetened with pureed yams - which was fine with Meredeth and Esposito both, as it meant Tessi was getting a well-balanced meal.

She watched her hubby, the tough cop who'd spent the day pouring over autopsy reports dipped the baby-sized spoon into Tessi's mouth, scooping up the stray bits around her lips with the goofy overacting only a parent possessed.

'Mm-mm, Princess Tessi loves her fruity cereal doesn't she? We won't tell Mommy we used up the last of her blackberries for Tessi's dinner tonight will we?'

'Good thing Mommy can't hear that.'

Esposito glanced over and smiled. 'Lasagne's in the oven, it'll be ready in about half an hour. Feeling almost human again?'

'And then some. You guys got a lot accomplished today?'

'Big time. There were so many reports to go over, to make sure we've got all our ducks in a row for going to Markaway tomorrow morning . But I'm done talking about work today, I'm ready for family time. How was the park?'

'Great. We were talking a lot about Hallowe'en next week. Dell wants Tessi to go as a turtle.'

'That's too precious.' Finished with the feeding, Esposito wiped Tessi's mouth and stood up to put her bowl in the sink for washing. 'What about you?'

'Lara Croft. I'm putting these to use,' Meredeth laughed, pointing to her chest and getting the little thrill when she saw her husband's eyes fire up.

'Now there's a Lara Croft movie worth seeing.' Esposito plucked Tessi out of her high chair, took her into the living room where he sat with her on the floor and watched her look around, her squishy letter blocks within her grasp. He watched the way she climbed over his legs to try and get to more blocks and an inspiration struck.

'Mere, here, put this on the table,' he said, tossing her the letter 'B' block.

'Okay.'

'Tessi,' he said to his little girl, 'where's your B, princess? Can you get it?'

Tessi, being a smart little tot, looked up and saw the block on the table; grasping the edge, she attempted to haul herself up. With both parents encouraging her, she managed it on the fourth try and stretched her long arm out to get her B-block before plunking back down on her bottom. She looked at her mommy and daddy and babbled, 'Mamamam?'

'You were awesome Tessi. Feed those birds.'

Meredeth smiled as she aimed her camera and caught it on film Tessi's little fingers puckered up against her daddy'. 'I bet Castle would pay me a million dollars for this photo.'

* * *

It was a banner day all around in Esposito's opinion. He and Ryan had rocked their court appearance for the case with Geoffs undercover, and Geoffs had gotten the results of his detective's exam, so they'd taken him out for a beer at the end of shift. He'd also gotten a call from Dave on his way home to be his best man on New Year's Eve, and Lanie had already asked Meredeth to be her maid of honour. He'd agreed, and Dave sounded so completely thrilled at his acceptance of the honour Esposito had to wonder if the paramedic and love of Lanie's life wasn't just a little drunk at home with his bride-to-be.

He unlocked the front door of his house and was greeted first by Arturo, then by the sound of Meredeth in the kitchen.

'Javi! Don't move! Just wait there by the door!'

'Okay,' he replied, setting his work bag down on the stairs and tossing his keys into the bowl. He stripped off his jacket, and when he turned around, his proud father's heart leaped like a Russian ballet dancer.

Tessi was resting her little feet on Meredeth's larger ones and holding onto her mommy's index fingers with a death-grip, walked in tandem as Meredeth moved her feet towards the front door. 'Look at us go, Daddy,' she exclaimed delightedly and Tessi babbled along with her; both his girls had mile-wide smiles that made Esposito feel like the luckiest man in the world to come home to a family. 'We're walking!'

'Ah-da-dadada,' Tessi gurgled.

'That's right, we're going to see Daddy!'

'Yes you are my little princess.' Esposito crouched down to eye-level and grinned widely, holding his arms out for his little girl. 'You are getting very good at that, you'll be going on your own in no time, won't you?'

'Maybe we can train Artie to walk around with her on his back, like with a little saddle or something.'

He laughed, shook his head at his bride. 'Mere, for the last time, we're not turning the dog into a horse.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	37. First Hallowe'en

'Lookin' good Lara.'

Esposito grinned at his wife's Hallowe'en costume as she finished putting Tessi into her green footies that would go under her little turtle shell costume. Meredeth was indeed dressed as the Tomb Raider herself, and while some would focus on the fact she wasn't as slim as Lara purported to be, she definitely had the boobs, the lips, the eyes and most of all the attitude.

And, he thought, she was all his.

Meredeth glanced up as she fastened Tessi's snap and batted her lashes. He'd dressed up as his favourite Frank Miller character who also happened to fit Castle's 'action movie characters' theme for the grown-ups. 'You're lookin' pretty hot yourself, Leonidas. Can I see your sword?'

'Saucy, I like it.'

'We have a Spartan King, a treasure hunter and a turtle. Quite the family.'

'I have a question, are we both going with Tessi on Castle's little trick-or-treat jaunt?' he asked, walking in to put together Tessi's diaper and overnight bag. Castle had already been by earlier to pick up her travel crib and get it set up in Alexis' room for them.

'Come on Tessi, up we go.' Meredeth helped her sit up, slipped the cloth turtle shell onto her back like a little back-pack, then added her hat that had her turtle eyes on it. She thought about putting on the flipper-mittens but she was getting to the 'if I can pick it up, it's edible' stage and the mittens being cloth would be easy prey. 'Castle said he's doing two rounds so one parent goes with for one floor then there's a switch off.'

'Sweet.'

'Okay, we've got everything for our little turtle princess?'

'Yep. Does she have her sais or her bo-staff?'

'Her what?'

She's our heroine in a half-shell,' Esposito said in the voice of a ten-year-old.

'Oh my god, I could just eat you up, you are so cute,' Meredeth giggled. 'Maybe I will later.'

'I'll show you my sword.'

* * *

'Hello, trick-or-treaters!'

Castle, or rather, James Bond answered the door with a smile and a martini glass in one hand. 'Lara, Leonidas, and is this Donatello or Raphael?'

'Squirt, from _Finding Nemo_.'

'Oh, god, Dell's going to freak out. You're the last ones to get here, by the way.' Castle ushered them over to the bar. 'Which one of you is going to take Tessi first?'

'I will,' Esposito volunteered. 'That way I can ditch the sweats for my costume.'

'Tessi!'

The holler came from the youngest Ryan as he raced over from where his parents were to see his favourite person in the whole world had arrived. He'd been dressed up as Rex from _Toy Story 3_ and his dinosaur head hit Meredeth in the thigh. 'Sorry, Meredeth. Tessi has a guh-reat costume. She is a very puh-retty tur-tell. Can she say tuh-rick-or-tuh-reat?'

'No, sweetie, she can't even say Mama or Daddy yet.'

'That okay. I do it for her. Javi help.'

'Thanks for the invite, little bro, it's not like I'm anyone important to Tessi,' he teased the three-year-old.

'You the most importan' person in the world and Meredeth.'

'That is true.'

Ryan, who'd gone full nerd and dressed as Legolas from Lord of the Rings, made his way over to them and shook his head at his son. 'Dell, you have to wait for me, you can't just go running off like that.'

'Sorry Daddy. We go now?'

'Yes, we'll go now.'

'Oh, not to worry, Ryan, I told the people on our rounds that the dino-guy is diabetic so they have sugar-free candy ready for him.' Castle dusted off his hands then crouched down so he was eye-level with Dell. 'What do you say when you get a candy in your treat-sac?'

'Thank you very much.'

'And?'

'Can Daddy have one too?'

'I've taught you well, grasshopper.'

* * *

They were joined on their Hallowe'en haunted walk by Rosie who'd dressed up as Dory the Blue Tang, Carey who was dressed as Wall-E - complete with a Coleman cooler for storing his treat stash - and Kelley, barely even a year old, was Dot the Ant. All the parents hung back while the little ones crowded around, with Esposito holding Tessi in his arms and he showed her how to hold out the little plastic pumpkin for her baby-treats. Dell, being the oldest and most vocal, had appointed himself ringmaster and made everyone else go first, helping Rosie and Kelley hold up their bags for their sweets. Despite his rather altruistic nature as the boy was a natural nurturer, Esposito suspected it was slightly to do with the fact that he got different candy and didn't want them to freak out about him getting special treatment.

After they'd switched and Meredeth had the chance to go with Tessi, she couldn't help thinking how quickly the last six months had gone. Tessi would be seven months in less than two weeks, and she was already starting to hold herself up while gripping a coffee table or chair leg. Pretty soon she'd be a walkie-talkie, a thought that made her a little melancholy, but so excited to teach her baby all the words of the world.

For now, with her little girl getting tired, she put her in Alexis' room with the baby monitor close by to hear her in case she stirred while Meredeth chatted with her friends. They'd outdoen themselves this year on their costumes - Lanie had gone with Storm from _X-Men_, Honey-Milk was Princess Fiona and Beckett had opted for Holly Go-Lightly from _Breakfast at Tiffany's_.

'So, Lanie, two months until the wedding, are you getting nervous?' Meredeth's eyes glittered in excitement. 'Do we get to throw you a bachelorette party?'

'I'm not sure if I want one.'

'What?' Beckett pointed at her friend with her long black candy-cigarette holder. 'You were leading the charge to do one for Meredeth and now you don't want one for yourself?'

'Well, it feels a little ridiculous to have hoopla when the wedding's just a formality-'

'Just a formality? I oughta knock you into next week.' Honey-Milk's cheeks went red as her wig. 'A wedding is a once in a life-time thing, you gotta celebrate the shit out of it. You love Dave right?'

'Of course I do.'

'So that's all there is to it.' Beckett eyed her friend. 'Are you okay? Are you having second thoughts about it?'

'Of course not, I've just been really out of sorts the last week or so. I haven't been sleeping well.'

'Why not?'

Lanie squirmed. 'My father thinks I should invite my mother to the wedding and he's kinda leaning on me to do it, even though I don't want her here. I haven't spoken to her since Carey was born, and that was only to tell her she had a grandson. She's not in my life and despite this, my dad thinks she should be present to see her youngest daughter get married. When I ask him to give me a good reason, he just says 'because', like I'm four years old again.'

'It's your call, ultimately, Lanie.' Meredeth sipped her drink, tapped her nails on the glass. 'And hopefully your dad can respect that.'

'Mind if I join in?' Esposito wandered up, and when she felt his half-naked body up against hers, Meredeth fluttered. 'Whatcha talkin' about?'

'Lanie thinks that just because she and Dave are having a small wedding and already have a child together means she doesn't need a bachelorette party.'

'Bullshit,' was Esposito's automatic response. 'I'm throwing Dave a little send off on the twenty-ninth, and as maid of honour, Meredeth is in charge of one last hurrah

'Do you want to go to The Grindhouse again?' Honey-Milk asked in obvious excitement. 'I can pick out my favourite zoo animal again.'

'Oh Jesus,' Lanie muttered, trying to fight the smile and not being terribly successful. 'That was a fun night wasn't it?'

'The best,' Meredeth agreed with a sheepish grin. 'What do you say?'

'No Suck-A-Bucks. I'm with you, Mere, they are weird.'

'It's a deal.'

* * *

By the time they were ready for sleep, Meredeth was exhausted. She wanted to just crawl in beside her husband, and shut out the world for a few hours. She found him already in his boxers, so she changed out of her costume and into her panties, and flopped on the comfy bed beside him.

'Oh, I want to make love with you so much, Mere,' he sighed, stroking her bare, smooth back with his hand. 'You looked so juicy and gorgeous in your costume.'

'But?'

'Look around. Where are we?'

Meredeth raised her head and realized what he was driving at. 'Ah, yes. Doing it in Castle's bed, that's one thing. Doing it in Alexis' bed, all kinds of very wrong and weird.'

'Agreed. So how about instead of Hallowe'en candy, we make it morning-after Hallowe'en candy?'

'Sounds great.' She poked him in the shoulder, pecked at his lips. 'I love you.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	38. First Birthday Present III

_NCISchick, happy birthday, this is for you!_

* * *

The morning of her thirty-fifth birthday, Meredeth awoke to the feel of tiny hands on her cheeks. Peeling back a eye, she saw her baby girl there, smiling away and prodding her face with her bony little digits.

'Good morning, Mommy,' she heard her husband say, 'happy birthday.'

'Thank you, Tessi-boo and thanks Javi. I love you both very much.'

'We love you very much too and we have a great day planned for you, starting with breakfast.' Esposito grinned as he shut off the video camera. 'I'll feed this little miss here while you just relax and enjoy being the birthday queen.'

He kissed his wife, once sweetly, then again with a little more fire in it. 'We'll get to the good stuff when little miss wide-eyes goes down for her nap. Then we'll see what else goes down...and up.'

'Dirty boy, I love you so.'

'Love you too Mere.'

Esposito scooped Tessi up and headed out of the room, leaving Meredeth humming as she lay staring at the ceiling. Thirty-five, she thought. A lot could happen in five years. Five years ago she'd been single and dedicated to her column and her dog. She had friends and occasional dates, but no one who made her want to go the extra mile. Then, about a month before she'd turned thirty-one, she'd had a fight with her editor so on her way home from the Webzine office she'd stopped off for a drink at Cecil's Tavern a few blocks away from her train-stop. She'd requested Cecil himself to hit her over the head with his baseball bat; instead he'd poured her a shot of tequila and told him her side of the story.

Then the too-hot-for-real-life Hispanic man a seat away had laughed at her and she'd given him a sincerely irritated, 'Something funny, Pablo', and her life had never been the same.

Four years, one month and one day after their first date, they were now a family - married two years with a seven month old baby girl, the most beautiful baby girl in the history of the world.

Smiling excitedly, she rolled out of bed and grabbed her kimono and tying the belt, headed downstairs. On the table was a bouquet of red amaryllis, one of Meredeth's favourite flowers along with her white roses and yellow tulips, along with a couple of gift wrapped packages. The sight of the flowers had Meredeth's throat snapping shut as she realized she wouldn't get her birthday phone-call from Constance. Rather than dwell on it, she smiled as she fingered the petals and tried to remember the Latin name for them her grandmother had tried to teach her.

'I'm sure it feels strange to not get that call, huh?' Esposito, having put Tessi into her high chair, came up behind his wife and wrapped his arms around her. He knew the look on her face well. 'I miss her too.'

'She doesn't want me to be said today, I can feel it,' Meredeth murmured. 'A birthday is a day to celebrate being alive and that's what I intend to do for the next twenty-four hours.' She let out a shuddery breath, followed it up with a little laugh. 'So tell me more about this day you have planned?'

'I thought we'd start with some banana bread French toast and mimosas, and spend the morning being disgustingly cutesy with our little girl at the park and while she's napping, we'll...' he trailed off, whispering in her ears suggestions so naughty even her open-mind was surprised.

'And you think we'll live through all of that?'

'We will, and more, because there is a birthday party here tonight we are going to book-end with even more loving.'

'What's gotten into you?'

'No, no.' Hot for his wife with very little ability left to control himself, Esposito turned her and her such a kiss he could actually feel his brain melting. 'The question is what is going to get in you.'

'Uh-huh,' was all Meredeth could manage as he kissed her again, making her skin tingle all the way to her toes.

The ringing phone, combined with the sound of Tessi babbling away in her high-chair was enough to have him clearing his throat. 'Hold that thought,' he said, then answered the house-line. 'Hello. Oh, uh, hi. Yeah, sure hold on.'

Esposito passed her the hand-set. 'It's Terrance.'

'Oh.'

The surprise she felt mirrored the look on his face as she picked up. 'Hi, Terrance.'

'Hi, Meredeth, I know it's been awhile since we talked, and I thank you for that. I needed some time to sort things out after your family was here to help me with Constance's things.'

'Sometimes the best thing is to know when to take a step back. What can I do for you this morning?'

'Constance had it on the calendar to call you today for your birthday. I know how much it means to you, so I thought I'd call since...she can't.'

'Oh.' It was the last thing she expected, as she wasn't terribly close to Terrance, but clearly he understood how much she missed her grandmother. 'Thank you, very much. I really appreciate it.'

'Anything special planned for today?'

Meredeth thought of the fun activities planned for today by her hubby. 'Quality time with friends and family. My husband is making me breakfast right now.'

'Oh, well, then don't let me keep you. Just wanted to call and say have a good day.'

'Thanks. I'll, ah, talk to you soon, okay?'

'Okay.'

Meredeth hung up, turned to Esposito, who was cracking eggs into a bowl. She smiled at him, her heart so full of love, it nearly hurt. 'Here, let me help,' she offered, and wasn't surprised when he held the bowl out of her reach.

'No, no, this is my job today. You sit and play with our princess while I make breakfast for my queen.'

* * *

'Good god, Javi, I think you done bent my spine like a crazy straw.'

Panting like she'd run a full marathon uphill, Meredeth kissed her husband's naked chest as she came down from the mind-melting glow of birthday sex. No, not birthday sex, she thought, that was far too mundane a phrase for the sexual tango they'd just danced. As promised, they'd done everything he'd said they would and more, leaving both of them elated and completely exhausted.

Esposito chuckled as he ran his hands over Meredeth's smooth back, the feel of her breasts against his skin. 'I've never been so thankful you do mommy yoga in all my life.'

'The dance cardio help, too. It's why my legs can bend that way. What?' she asked when he got his 'remember when' look on his face.

'About six months before I met you, we were working on this case where this grad student who was researching her thesis by working at an S&M club, so we had to do a little research and there was this one site with the woman who put her...well, let's just say I thought there was no way a woman could bend like that.'

'What made you think of that now?'

'Because I've been proven wrong.' He reached down, squeezed her ass so she was pulled tight against him. 'Very, very wrong.'

'Well, then, happy birthday me. And I haven't even opened my present yet.'

'You pulled my clothes off,' he teased her, knowing she'd really love him when she saw what he'd gotten for her - tickets to _The Producers_, which some how she'd never seen despite the fact it was based on her favourite film of all time. That combined with the new season of _Dallas, Lieutenant Eve_ on Blu-Ray from Tessi would mean even more post-party birthday naked fun.

The house-line rang then, and Meredeth reached over to grab the handset. 'Meredeth Dakkars Esposito, sex-contortionist extraordinaire.'

'Oh that's a little more than is necessary for my imagination to handle.'

Meredeth laughed richly, sat up so she was straddling her husband and winked at him. 'Beckett, hello.'

'I take it we're having a very happy birthday so far?'

'_Very_ happy indeed.'

'I just wanted to let you know that Alexis is going to be coming with Richard and I tonight, she's home for her midterm break, is that going to screw up your numbers?'

'Tell her to call back,' Esposito whispered, walking his fingers up Meredeth's center, making her squirm. 'Unless you want to give my boss a front row seat to the next round.'

'Also, Castle wants to be in charge of barbecuing because he still doesn't trust Esposito's cooking but I said I'd ask, because it's your house and it's your birthday.'

'Uh-huh, well, I'll...hmm, well...' It was getting harder to make words come out of her mouth as Esposito had sat up and was following his fingers-tracks with his mouth, each kiss lingering a little longer than the last one. 'I'll, ah, talk to him...later.'

'Much, much later,' Esposito whispered, reaching her throat, nibbling at the pulse he found there. 'Or do you want to multi-task?'

'Mere? You still there?'

'Kate, I'm going to have to call you back.'

She never heard Kate's final happy birthday as the phone hit the floor.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	39. First Tooth

Esposito awoke with a start in the middle of her night as the sound of Tessi crying came through the baby monitor. With a kiss on Meredeth's shoulder, he kicked back the covers and headed for the nursery, nearly tripping over Arturo in the process.

'Artie, move, move!' he hissed sharply as Tessi wailed. 'There, there, my little Tessi-boo, what's wrong?'

He looked in the crib, and didn't see any bump or marks on her arms or legs, and she was in the middle of the crib so she hadn't bumped her head on the rails. Scooping her up and settling into the arm-chair, he could feel her tiny chest hitching as she fought for breath in between her sobs. He let out a soft chuckle as she tried to steady herself but it was to no avail as she scrunched up her adorable little face and kept on crying.

'Oh, man, Tessi.' he murmured. 'Why are you so upset?'

The door creaked and he looked up to see Meredeth there, concerned. 'I heard her crying and thought you'd quieted her down.'

'Maybe it's one of those 'only mommy will do' things.'

Meredeth took the baby and sat down on the floor, rocking her upper body back and forth to try and calm Tessi down. 'Oh, my little sweetheart,' she murmured when she saw the little tears trickling out of the corner of her daughter's eyes. 'What is worth all this fuss? Oh, oh, wait a moment, keep that mouth open, baby girl.'

'What?' Esposito watched Meredeth run the fleshy pad of her pinky finger over Tessi's lower gum and nodded. 'What is it?'

'She's teething. Come have a feel.'

He moved to the floor, looking at his little girl whom he'd never seen in such distress before. Her tiny fingers clenched around his finger which she promptly popped in her mouth and began sucking on. That was when he felt it. The tiny needle-point bump on her gum.

'Aw, poor little princess. What do we do? How do we make her feel better?'

'Umm, I don't know, get the book.'

Meredeth sat there on the floor, speaking in soothing tones to her baby waiting for her husband to come back; he was there a few minutes later paging through _Baby Boom_ and plunked himself back in the chair.

'Okay, it says we can give her baby Tylenol or Motrin, or keep some cold _chupetes_ stocked in the fridge, maybe an ice cube or popsicle. A pacifier,' he added off her questioning look at the Spanish word. He hauled himself out of the chair, went to the little pharmacy drawer in the nursery. 'Here, we still have the drops from her booster shots.'

'Thanks.' Meredeth caught the bottle he tossed her one-handedly, and squeezed a dose into Tessi's mouth. 'I know, darling, it's not pleasant. And I will remind you of the fuss you're making when you have your own babies. Possibly with Dell Ryan.'

'You're on that bandwagon now too?'

'Oh yeah, those two are going to grow up and be prom dates and first loves, first kisses, possibly other firsts,' she laughed, making Esposito shudder.

'It's bad enough I'm on call when Tessi has started teething, now you're trying to give me nightmares?'

'Come on, don't you think that'd be so adorable if Tessi and Dell had that story to tell their babies?'

'No, because you have to have sex to have babies, which our little girl is never ever going to do.'

'Sure she will, when she's the right age, by which I mean thirty...five.'

'There's my Meredeth.' Esposito stood up, kissed the top of her head as Tessi's sobs began to subside. 'You don't mind if I catch a few nods?'

'No, it's okay. I'll take her downstairs; I know you've got a busy day ahead of you tomorrow morning.'

Meredeth got to her feet with the still-fretful infant against her shoulder. 'Let's go find out if you are a grape or orange Popsicle girl.'

* * *

'Esposito?'

'Huh?'

'Care to join in with the investigation or are we interrupting your nap?'

Had he fallen asleep? Esposito looked down at his hand and saw the sticky wet spot on his palm had come from his own lax mouth dribbling. 'Sorry, Beckett.'

'You okay? You've been really out of it the last few weeks.'

'Hope you're not getting that cold that's been going around, we're supposed to have a boys night out after shift tonight,' Ryan said with a knot of concern creasing his brow.

'About that. Tessi's teething,' he said bluntly, knowing he'd get understanding looks from Ryan and Castle, even his captain, 'and I don't know if I wanna skip out on her and dump all the parenting thing on her while I'm off drinking beer and eating wings over the hockey game.'

'We've all been there, Detective,' Montgomery nodded sagely, then tacked on, 'and you'll know what we mean when the time's right too, Beckett,' when she cleared her throat to remind them she was a stepmother, not a biological one.

'Alexis screamed bloody murder when hers came in,' Castle said with a purse of the lips. 'I don't think Evil Meredith was ready for that one.'

'Dell was only happy when we gave him his wubbie with an ice cube of fruit juice.' Ryan folded his arms on his chest. 'And him being hypoglycaemic, we had to be really careful.'

'So you'd freeze his _chupetes_ into ice cubes?' Esposito casually picked up a pen, made a note.

'Or just put them in the fridge and the dip them in juice.'

Castle bit his lip to prevent the smile from spreading too far; it was too cute for words to see the big bad SWAT-rifle toting Esposito taking notes on calming a teething baby. 'Alexis liked to nibble on popsicles, orange ones especially.'

'You know, I'm sorry.' Fed up, Beckett capped her dry-erase marker and put her hands on her hips. 'What am I thinking, trying to solve a double homicide in the middle of Daddies Anonymous? I'm going to get some coffee. Decaf coffee, so my blood pressure doesn't hit the roof.'

She stormed off, and for whatever reason, Esposito felt an unshakable need to follow her into the break room. 'Sorry, Detective, really, but Castle and Ryan, they're like brothers I never had, and they're both dads, so-'

'It's fine,' she said shortly. 'Really, I know you love your daughter and you talk to them about that stuff because you can.' Beckett pursed her lips as she stirred in her sugar-free vanilla to the plain coffee. 'Javier, can I tell you something, in confidence?'

'Sure.' Folding his arms over his chest, Esposito sat on the edge of the table.

'You can tell Meredeth if you want, it's not that kind of big deal but-'

'Kate.'

'Okay, here it is.' Beckett took a bracing breath and dove in. 'Richard and I...we're going to start trying after Christmas.'

'Trying?'

'You know, _trying_?'

'Oh. Oh!' Esposito popped up like a Whack-a-Mole and grinned. 'You're going to join the Twelfth Precinct stork derby too?'

'Yeah, and hearing the stories from you and Ryan and Castle about labour and morning sickness, and colic and teething, it's got me freaking out a little bit.'

'That freak-out would happen whether you hear it or not. Remember Ryan when Jenny was pregnant?'

Beckett snickered. 'He was worse than all of you.'

'Exactly. Plus, now Meredeth gets to be the big sister and pass on her experience too, and I know she's looking forward to that.'

'Really?'

'Uh-huh. And don't worry, when you're too big to chase down suspects, Ryan and I got your back.'

'You're pretty good at that.'

'At what?'

'Talking girls down off of ledges.'

'Uh, you've met my sister, right? When she was in college, if I didn't get a Lili freak-out call once a week, it was a slow week.'

Beckett continued to laugh when Esposito's cell peeped in Meredeth's signature tone, and he picked it up, watched Beckett leave for the murder board again. 'Hey Mere, how's our little chomper feeling?'

'Much better. I took her on a walk this morning and we went by that ice-cream place, Roscoe's and got some of the dairy free lemon gelato, and I dabbed a little on her gums, it was like you hit a button.'

'That's so good to hear. Poor thing can sleep at night now.'

'Yeah, I asked the pediatrician about it, and she said as long as it's dairy free we're fine.'

'And lemme guess, you want me to pick up a few dozen pints on my way home tonight?'

'No, I was going to say, you don't have to cancel your boys' night with Ryan and Castle to come home and help with a screaming baby, I've got it under control. Now you know how to take care of it when I go to the movies with Lanie and Robina on Saturday.'

'You're the best, Mere, I love you.'

'Love you too, and we'll see you tonight.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	40. First Christmas Tree Cutting

It was December tenth; Tessi was eight months old and she was about to experience another very important first - cutting down her first Christmas tree.

Meredeth had her dressed up in her warmest clothes possible, and in her snow suit, ready to go while Esposito loaded the truck he'd borrowed from his cousin Frannie's hubby. Arturo was coming with them which meant the cabin space was going to be extra squishy, another reason why she was thankful Lanie, Dave and Carey were going to be joining them in the Nissan as well so when they had the trees picked out, the ladies and babies would drive the car back while the men and the mutt would bring the pick-up.

'Okay, we've got the saw, the ropes, now all we need is the hobo with a hook for a hand and we'll be starring in the opening sequence of the next Tarantino slasher movie,' Esposito said as Meredeth brought a bundled-up Tessi downstairs. He watched her, cocked his head to the side. She'd been trimming off the pounds from carrying Tessi and looked just as beautiful at her pre-baby weight as she had when she was nine months heavy. She'd also dropped a few extra pounds, as they'd talked about the possibility of their next baby being twins and Meredeth told him she wanted her body to be in even better shape than before she'd had Tessi.

As always, Esposito was there with love and support for her decisions, and was thankful when she'd only taken off an extra five. He loved her juicy booty; it was because she wasn't a stick figure like other girls that made her so beautiful to him. The way he saw it, Meredeth was a five-foot-eight, one-seventy curvalicious dream any man would be lucky to score, and he'd been that very lucky guy.

'Lookin' good, Mama,' he told her when she bent over to fasten Tessi into her car seat.

'You're looking at my ass.'

'Exactly.' When she straightened, Esposito gave her a kiss. 'Maybe later, we'll play where's the candy cane.'

'Mmm.' It was all Meredeth could say; she had no idea why her husband was so horny of late for her, but she wasn't going to complain in the slightest. She'd been reading up how a lot of couples struggled with romance during the first year of being parents, however she also tended to think that part of the mutual support they'd shown each other during her pregnancy was being intimate, and they'd carried that over to their first months of parenthood. 'What have you been eating lately?'

'Huh?'

'You can barely keep it in your pants and if not that, you've got a dozen or so innuendos on tap. What is it, oysters? Strawberries? Bananas?'

He squirmed a little. 'I just want you to know I love you.'

'Aw.' Understanding exactly what he meant, Meredeth crossed over to him. 'I love you too, and thank you.'

'Anytime, my love.' Esposito picked Tessi up in her car seat, groaned dramatically. 'I think the question is, what has this one been eating? She's getting so big!'

* * *

They met Lanie and Dave and Carey at the tree farm; they'd borrowed Meredeth's car to go up to Albany for a few days to visit Dave's family and were meeting them on the return trip to get their Christmas tree. The moment they'd let Arturo out of the truck, he'd zoomed right over to the pathologist and her son, sniffing wildly. Carey, being an amiable tot, patting whatever part of Arturo he could reach, then started to squirm when he saw the dog's family approaching.

'Tizzy!' Carey bounced up and down on the spot when he saw the little girl inside the big puffy snowsuit, holding his mother's hand as he did so. 'Mama, Tizzy here.'

'I see that, baby.' Lanie grinned; she'd styled her hair into braids so she looked like a hot chocolate Swiss-Miss under her knit ski-cap. 'Remember, how do we play with her?'

'Nice.'

'Good boy.'

'How were the future in-laws?' Esposito asked with a cheeky grin; Lanie just rolled her eyes in impatience.

'Don't even...they're nice and very helpful, but they're having a hard time understanding why we're doing a small ceremony in our friend's loft on New Year's Eve. Or why we want you two as the only wedding party.' Lanie plucked up Carey, popped him onto the horse-drawn wagon used for transporting people around the vast tree-farm, then hopped up beside him, holding her hands out for Tessi so Meredeth could do the same. 'But of course they're going to be there, and we explained it to them why we want you two to be with us up there. If it hadn't been for you two getting together, Dave and I might not have gotten together and we wouldn't have our baby.'

'Yeah, we do have our own little soap opera, don't we?' Meredeth giggled. 'I bet Castle could use that in one of his books, too, only what would mine and Dave's names be?'

'You could be Maureen Colton, a true crime writer who turns Ochoa's head after he and Lauren Perry decide they're better off as friends and Dave would be Darrien Rogers, the brave trauma surgeon who has always had a crush on Lauren and after giving her time to nurse her ego, sweeps her off her feet.' Lanie paused as they began to move; she remembered too well the dream Meredeth had had a few months earlier and had to wonder. 'Meredeth, you know nothing ever happened with me and your husband right? I flirted but he never bit the bait I dangled.'

'I know Lanie.' Meredeth smiled, patting her friend's shoulder. She knew both of them had been rattled by that head-scratcher of a dream she'd had, Lanie moreso than her after she'd confessed it to her friend.

'You two are a perfect match for each other, and I almost never use that word.' Lanie kissed the top of her son's head. 'Look what both of us would have missed out on if that had been the case. You married with a little girl, me about to get married with my boy.'

'Who is a slippery devil today,' Meredeth noted, watching with fascination as Carey climbed out of his mother's lap to stick his tongue out at Tessi.

'Tizzy do dis,' he said, sticking his tongue out. 'Cash so-fix.'

'What are you doing, boy?' Dave, who'd climbed on the wagon along with Esposito, had caught sight of what his son was doing and looked at him with bewilderment. 'Carey, what are you doing?'

'Tizzy cash so-fix.'

'So-fix?' Meredeth repeated.

'Uh-huh, wash.' Carey tipped his head up towards the sky, mouth open and tongue stuck out. 'Cash do-fix.'

'Oh, I get it!' Lanie giggled. 'Catch snow-flakes.'

'Of course.' Meredeth smiled as she handed her camera to Lanie, who took pictures of Tessi beginning to stick her tongue out as well in time with Carey; last year, it had been Dell's turn to do so with Carey, and now Carey was passing along his wisdom from the ringleader of the Twelfth Precinct's second generation. 'A fantastic idea, Carey.'

Glad for the air to be cleared for good over the steamy moment, Lanie settled back and began to sing 'Sleigh Ride' under her breath.

They hopped off in the section dedicated to Blue Spruce, which Meredeth had said was the best kind of tree to get. Despite being a born and raised New Yorker, she had a healthy dose of country in her, which Meredeth explained came from her grandfather Max; he'd been a country boy who'd hunted and fished in Denmark, and passed his love of the outdoors onto his children and grandchildren.

'So why is a spruce the best, Mere?' Dave asked, looking around at all the trees; one looked the same to him as another.

'They have the best smell, they look the fullest and freshest, and they have sturdy branches without the needles being super-sharp.'

'Shashashasha,' Tessi babbled in her mother's arms, clapping together her mittened hands.

'Lanie, check this out. What do we do when something is sharp, Tessi?' Meredeth asked and grinned when her girl pouted and shook her hand.

'Oooo.'

'That's right, we say 'ow'. What makes it all better?'

Tessi put her lips to her hand. 'Yeayeayea.'

'Exactly, a kiss makes it all better.'

'Wow, smart little thing.' Lanie helped Carey through a deep drift of snow. 'She's going to be talking soon.'

'I think so. The pediatrician thinks she'll be zipping around on her own by Valentine's Day too.'

'Mama, why so col?' Carey asked, dipping his own mittened hands into the fresh fluffy white powder.

'Because the earth is far away from the sun in the winter and the sun helps keep everything warm, so being away from the sun makes the water in the clouds turn into snowflakes.'

'Why eart' away?'

Lanie grinned. 'And when they start talking, they never ever stop. Amazing how fast it goes, isn't it?'

'Just like planning a wedding, you wake up one morning and bam, time to put on the dress.' Meredeth gave her a look. 'Will you need me to make up funny stories for you too to keep your make-up from spoiling?'

'Are you crazy? Of course I will.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	41. First Christmas Morning

'Merry Christmas Javi.'

'Merry Christmas, Mere. Or can I call you Merry today?'

'Call me anything except the ball-and-chain and you're fine.'

Esposito smiled, pulled her close to kiss her once, let his hand drift down to her hip to pull her close. He'd slept completely naked on purpose because he'd gone to bed with a very specific wake-up in mind for his Mrs. Claus. 'How about I call you my little sex kitten?'

'That works.' Meredeth could feel his arousal against her body, her blood moving around a little more quickly now. She nipped at his lower lip, winked at him. 'Have you been a good boy for Santa this year?'

'Oh yes, and I know you're on the good list too. And since he brought our presents last night-' Esposito rolled so she was underneath him, a creamy-dreamy Nordic goddess '-why don't we get a little bit naughty?'

Meredeth's only response was to bring him in for a kiss, running her hands over his back while she shifted to open for him. The touch of him naked against her most intimate area made her nerves sizzle, her body grow hot for his. His lips were lush yet firm, teasing yet giving as his tongue danced over hers. That golden body pressed her into their bed and she sighed in her throat as he ran his mouth over her jaw, down her neck. He always kissed her in the most interesting places, the caress of his lips giving her goosebumps which made her want him even more.

Esposito smiled against her skin, sliding his hand up her torso to cup her breast. He loved he got to focus on those once more; he hadn't minded sharing them with Tessi, but now that he could touch and taste them with no surprises made him basely satisfied. He flicked out his tongue over her hardened nipple and heard her strangled gasp of pleasure, could already sense her growing damp for him so he stayed there, suckling at her. She writhed beneath him, her sweat-slicked palms slipping over his back to pull him closer. When he switched to the other side, he heard her sigh out his name and felt like a god. Nothing and no one compared to her, or the way she made him feel when they came together like this.

'Mere,' he murmured, 'give me your hand.'

'What?'

'Give me your hand.'

With a subtle movement, he sat her up and turned her around so she knelt in front of him; his hand linked with hers riding over her hip then down to her leg and up until both their fingertips pressed against the vee of her thighs, brushing against the wetness there.

'Javi.' Meredeth could only manage to utter his name. The feel of their hands there together, gently caressing in tandem, had tiny explosions going off her in brain. 'Mm, baby, that feels so naughty.'

'Good.' A flick of the wrist and his hand was now underneath hers, and shifting backwards as he sank one finger, then two inside her, with her hand effectively guiding his movements. 'Bet that does, too,' he added, nipping at her earlobe.

'Uh-huh.'

She'd never felt so gorgeous as these moments with him. She'd had his baby and still he touched her as if it were the first time all over again; it was times like these when she truly was his resident love goddess, and it made her love him even more, if that were some how possible. The orgasm built inside her like a hurricane and her hand dropped away as her hips rose and fell against his touch until she was crying out incoherently for him. When she came, it was on a gutteral moan of pleasure; she came down from it but not for long as she turned her head to kiss him and muttered, 'Inside me.'

'Of course, my love.'

He nudged her thighs apart, and nearly lost his mind when he saw her hand between her legs once again, reaching to help guide him in. With one hand between her breasts, resting against her heart and the other on her hip, Esposito let his head fall forward so his chin rested on her shoulder as he drove them both towards the peak of ecstasy and then over it on a scream.

Spent, he laid his lips on her throat, her pulse hammering hard. 'Now we're definitely on the naughty list. Think Santa will take back our toys?'

'Not a chance.' Moving forward, she spun so she faced him. 'I love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.'

They showered together to save time, then dressed back in their pyjamas and went to get Tessi out of the nursery to head downstairs. As expected, Tessi was already awake and standing up in her crib; she'd gotten so sturdy so quickly on her legs, they figured she'd be walking by New Year's Day. When they made it into the living room, they saw a veritable bounty of blessings under the tree. The most important addition, of course, was Tessi's stocking with stars and holly-berries all over it.

'Yep, looks like Santa visited last night.'

'Sasasasasa,' Tessi burbled as her daddy set her on the floor and she crawled over to them. Or, he thought with a laugh, she crab-walked over - Tessi didn't like bumping her knees, so she walked along on hands and feet with her tiny butt in the air.

'Here we are, fruit, coffee, croissants and for little miss, juice in a sippy cup,' Meredeth declared, setting the tray down on the coffee table. 'You ready to start with your stocking, Tessi-boo?'

'Tetetete,' she replied.

Meredeth watched Esposito help Tessi rip through the paper, suddenly glad her husband had knocked her up in the summer so Tessi's birthday was early in the year. She was old enough to start to understand a tiny little bit the excitement of the day, unlike Kelley Mazzara who'd been born exactly one month before Christmas so her first true Christmas like this would be this year as well, when she'd get to shred paper with her big brother.

'Oh, Tessi look at those.' Meredeth gasped dramatically at the bath mittens so when she was a little bit bigger and starting to go into the big-girl tub, she would be able to learn about washing herself by wearing the terry-cloth gloves. 'Where'd those come from?'

'Tia Lili mentioned it to Santa that Rosie loves hers,' Esposito explained, 'and thought prima Tessi might like some too.'

Once they'd gotten through the baby's loot, they'd started on their own stockings, full of the standard toiletry, stationary and assorted bits-and-bobs they'd come to love exchanging, like a refill on Esposito's favourite shaving cream and refills on his Victornox pen for signing off on official paperwork for a judge or panties from Victoria's Secret for Meredeth and new make-up brushes since hers had gone manky.

When it was time for under-the-tree gifts, Esposito went first to find a new set of cuff-links, something he always wore on court-days to make himself appear snazzier; these ones had the logo for the Mets etched into the silver.

'Tessi and I agreed it was time to add to the collection.' Meredeth had taken Tessi in her lap from her daddy for opening her first one labeled 'To Mommy from Tessi and Artie'. 'Were you shopping on-line again with Daddy, princess?'

'Oh yeah, but Arturo had the final say.'

'Oh, I love it!' It was a new jacket designed for winter outside athletics, in slate blue with white piping detail. 'You know how much I love taking them out for walks, thank you so much, Tessi. Is it Daddy's turn again?'

'Dadadada.'

'Okay, then let's give him this one.'

Meredeth slid forward to her knees, effectively putting Tessi on her feet, to find the present for Esposito, an autographed photo of himself and Alexander Skarsgard she'd taken at the Emmys; getting in touch with him when he'd been filming various projects overseas had proved most tricky. 'Dang, where it is?' she muttered and without thinking, let go of her hand around Tessi's waist to search for it.

'Uh, Mere?'

'What?'

She glanced over, and her eyes went huge at the sight: Tessi was standing on her own, without any assistance. Present forgotten, she whipped out the video camera while Esposito handled the still shots. 'Tessi! Look at you, baby girl!'

Tessi looked around and still smiling, dropped onto her bottom with a giggle. She sat there, confused for a few moments, then swung herself to her knees and with a concentrated effort, and her parents cheering her on, got to her feet again. This time she stomped her foot and moved forward a little.

'Mere, she's walking!' Esposito cried out in jubilation. 'Our little princess is on the move.'

'I know! She's so smart! Go to Daddy, Tessi! Go on!'

'Come here, sweetheart!'

Tessi made it about three steps before sinking to her bottom again; demonstrating she'd inherited both parents' stubbornness, she hauled herself up once more and made it the remaining four steps to her daddy's waiting arms, where he held her against his chest and kissed her noisily; the sound of it made Tessi giggle.

'That does it,' Esposito said to Meredeth and the still-recording video camera. 'Whatever else is under this tree for us doesn't matter a bit, we just got the world's best Christmas present caught on tape.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	42. First Surprise

As the clock chimed twelve midnight, everyone had found their sweethearts while the bride and groom continued to embrace, murmuring to each other. Still holding her own clutch of flowers and Lanie's bridal bouquet, Meredeth wrapped her arms around her husband and pulled him in for a romantic kiss.

'Happy New Year Javi.'

'Happy New Year Mere.' He locked his lips with hers again, nibbled on them; they tasted inexplicably of chocolate. 'You sure are tasty tonight.'

'Mmm, fancy talk from the best man. You want to catch my bouquet?'

'And much more. Hey, look at that.'

Meredeth turned so they were looking in the same direction towards Lanie and Dave, saw him wrap his arms around the back of her legs to boost her up under her bottom. 'They are so happy.'

'Just like us.'

'Not just like us,' she sighed dreamily, laying her temple against his cheek, 'no one else has what we have. We're a class of happy all our own.'

Esposito turned back to his wife, and nodding his agreement, flicked a finger over the curls by her ear. 'You got that right.'

The cheering voices, some of whom had started to sing Auld Lang Syne, was silenced when Dave stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled to get everyone's attention. He'd put Lanie back on her feet and looked like he'd won the lottery as he spoke.

'Excuse me,' he addressed the crowd of party-goers, 'my very new wife just told me a very big surprise.'

'You're pregnant!' Castle hollered out, making everyone chuckle a little.

'Actually, I am,' was Lanie's elated reply as she hugged Dave around the waist. 'Surprise.'

The room erupted in cheers once again, and Esposito looked at Meredeth, who looked as shell-shocked as he felt by the news. 'Did you know about this?' he asked Meredeth, as Lanie's father and Dave's parents rushed over to congratulate them for this new reason to celebrate.

'No, she didn't say a word. That clever little fox,' she laughed. 'I was with her almost the entire day and it never once came up! She must have just found out.'

Esposito linked hands with Meredeth and they went over to the happy couple who was being embraced by Castle and Beckett; the latter was practically skipping on the spot.

'Another one, Lanie!' she sang, gripping her friend's hands tightly. 'How? When?'

'Beckett, you're a big girl, you know how babies are made,' Lanie teased her, 'and we're going for a sonogram in a couple of days to get a for-sure date.'

'Congratulations, Lanie, on everything!' Meredeth saw her opening and took it, wrapping her harms around the petite doctor. 'You're going to be a great mom, again.'

Esposito rounded the giggling, giddy women to shake the groom's hand, gave him a knowing wink. 'Way to go, Dave.'

As expected the man of the hour blushed crimson, fidgeted a little. 'We weren't even trying again, and look what happened, again.' He scratched his cheek, grinned. 'We're going to need a bigger boat.'

Esposito laughed. 'Well, if you need help packing, you know where to find us.'

He watched as Dave slipped his arms around Lanie from behind, his hands slipping over her stomach protectively. With a laugh, he wondered what it was going to be like to explain to Carey that he was getting a little brother or sister.

* * *

They had a dinner and a dance for Lanie and Dave, and saw them off to their hotel for the night to spend their first hours together as husband and wife in a far more private setting; Carey had been left in Ryan and Honey-Milk's charge for the rest of the night.

By three am, when they were back in Chelsea - there was no way they could stay the night at Castle's like they had before, since there were so many more people than usual and Alexis and Martha were using their rooms which would have normally been put into service - Meredeth was floating along on an exhausted cloud of pure happy. She put the snoozing Tessi in her crib and after both parents kissed her night-night, went into their own room to change and catch some sleep.

'Quite a night, wasn't it?' Esposito said, slipping off his tie, then hanging his tux jacket onto its hangar.

'I'll say. Lanie and Dave getting married, then finding out about another baby, and all on New Year's Eve.'

'She'll be the first multiple-mommy in our little family, then guaranteed, the next one we have will be twins,' Meredeth concluded, shimmying out of her gown, then turned back to look at her husband, the animal purring happily in her chest when she saw him strip off his shirt so he was in just his black dress pants. She felt the heat lance through her, make her thighs go weak when he glanced over and caught her staring. He flashed his trademark cocky grin and Meredeth thought she might pass out.

'I know that look. You want to get out the camera don't you?'

'Maybe.'

'Maybe,' he sweetly mimicked her voice, then finished changing. 'Actually, the thought did cross my mind, but Mere, I'm exhausted.'

'Oh thank god, me too.' She grinned at him, walked over in her stocking feet. 'I love you so much but I just want to sleep tonight.'

'Wake-up sex?'

'Hell yes.'

Esposito kissed the tip of her nose. 'It's a date.'

* * *

The following morning started, as promised, with wake-up sex in the shower - they loved getting clean and being dirty at the same time - before Esposito went to tend to Tessi in the nursery while Meredeth. As he expected, Tessi was still asleep with her almost nine-month old ass in the air, a sure sign she needed a nappie change. He watched her wake, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand before giving him a big grin that showed off her little teeth.

'So you're going to have another cousin soon, Tessi,' he told her as he changed her diaper and picked out warm pants and a top for her. 'Well, cousin in the spiritual sense. When you're older, like eighteen or so and you get together with Dell, it won't help to think of him as your cousin.'

'Dededede,' she babbled, clapping her hands together.

'What do you think, time for breakfast with Mommy? She's making us some delicious food.'

'Fofofofo.'

'Okay, off we go.'

They headed downstairs to see Meredeth had indeed made breakfast - whole wheat waffles and fresh fruit - and because he wanted to see it again, Esposito set Tessi onto her feet and she wobbled on her sea-legs over to Meredeth, bumping her nose into her mother's calf.

'Good morning motor princess!' Meredeth set down her spatula, picked Tessi up to give her a kiss. 'Did you sleep well?'

'Wewewewe.'

'Good. Hope we didn't wake you up this morning either,' she added, wiggling her eyebrows at her husband, who shared her satisfied grin.

'You have to admit, we're very good at the practicing for giving her a sibling.'

'Very, very good.'

'Gogogogo.' Tessi kissed her mother's cheek. 'Sisisisisi?'

'Yep, we'll get you sitting in your high chair, my little darling. Kate texted me when you were in the shower, we're having dinner there around five.'

'Sounds great. Anything we're bringing?'

'Nope, Castle's got the whole thing catered, some kind of deal from the catering he used for Lanie and Dave's wedding last night.' Meredeth popped Tessi into her high chair, then brought their food to the table. 'I was thinking too, they're going to have to move, aren't they?'

'Yeah. But Dave had mentioned they'd talked about that anyways, since they've started accumulating stuff, how you do when you're in a domestic partnership like that' Esposito poured raspberry syrup over his waffles, his knife hovering over them as he saw the pensive look on his wife's face. 'What are you thinking?'

'I'm thinking that Kristof could be put to use again, and replicate the mural on Carey's wall so it feels like home to him.'

'Oh, that would be a great gift.'

'Lanie said he loves his mural, when he wakes up in the morning he says 'hi ani-nals.'

'My God, we are a bunch of sappy cutesy couples aren't we?'

Meredeth winked at him. 'Nothing sappy or cutesy about what we did this morning. And it's part of being a parent. You're not all sappy and cutesy when you're on a stakeout or have a hot interview going down, are you? Just like you don't use your cop voice on Tessi.'

'And you definitely don't use the voice from the shower on her either.'

'See, there you go.'

'Tessi, little bites, sweetie.' Esposito saw the chunk of strawberry she was trying to cram into her tiny mouth, and ripped it in half for her, as Arturo began to whine. 'Alright, Artie, we'll go.'

Meredeth watched him take the dog out to the curb, then quickly nipped into the living room to grab the house-line handset that had started to . Because both were gone, neither of them heard Tessi say in her sweet little voice, 'Aah-tie.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	43. First Oops

'Javi?'

'Mere?'

'Does Castle have an army of invisible monkeys we're unaware of?'

Esposito gave Meredeth a look in the elevator. 'What?' he asked, completely baffled.

'He will have that place spic-and-span and how he will have done it since they didn't get to bed until almost five in the morning I haven't a clue. So I'm theorizing it's invisible monkeys.'

'Monmonmonmon,' Tessi gurgled.

The lift stopped and they got off on Castle's floor, where his private lobby was decorated for Lanie and Dave in purple and white. A press of the button and Beckett was there, with the adorable Carey on her hip.

'Hi hi,' he waved. 'Mama have baby.'

'Yes, we heard the news, didn't we?' Beckett cuddled Carey close. 'And do we want a boy or girl?'

'Boy.'

'Of course.' Esposito pushed Tessi's stroller inside, then unbuckled her as Meredeth kissed Beckett and Carey's cheeks in hello. He helped the little girl out of her coat before he mirrored Beckett's stance and held Tessi while they got in the door. 'Now that Dell's got Tessi, he can build up his army of soldiers to protect her.'

He looked around and had to wonder if Meredeth' hypothesis was partially accurate - the wreckage from a thirty-person party the night before had magically vanished and was replaced with long white buffet tables waiting to be loaded up with food, which they would consume with glee to cure the various stages of hangovers they all had. From the kitchen, Esposito heard Lili and voice chatting animatedly with Beckett and Meredeth while over in the living room, cozy as a bird in her nest, Lanie sat on the sectional sofa with her feet under her bottom. She sipped soft cider from a wine glass as she talked to Alexis, who sat on the floor amongst the battalion of stuffed dinosaurs Dell had spread out for himself, Carey and Rosie.

'Dell, wan' a tie-cer-tops.'

'Okay Rosie, whassa magic word?'

'Peas.'

Dell nodded, passed her the toy, then smiled when he saw his favourite person in the galazy had arrived. Dinos forgotten, he scrambled to his feet. 'My Tessi is here!'

'Wait there, little man, check this out.'

Esposito put Tessi on her feet and let her walk over to the little boy, giggling the entire way. Dell watched with excitement as she wobbled towards him and he held out his hands to her.

'What a big girl, Tessi!'

'Aw.' Feeling the kick of hormones, Lanie dabbed her pinkie at the corners of her eyes as Dell grabbed Tessi's hands and helped her sit down beside him. 'He's so sweet with her.'

'I think if he could, he'd adopt her,' Meredeth commented. She'd made a detour with Beckett to get a drink, and now settled onto the couch between her husband and the armrest. 'Every time Jenny calls, he insists on saying hello. Where is she, by the way?'

'Cam and Jenny are both on shift until six and Ryan's out with Dad picking up some sort of surprise.' From her spot on the floor looking after the little ones Alexis looked up and grinned. 'Something for the parents-to-be, he said.'

Carey, having lost his playmate to Tessi, clambered up on the couch into his mother's lap and patted her tummy. 'Mama have baby,' he declared proudly to anyone who would listen and watch him, then turned adoring eyes to his mother. 'Soon?'

'Not for a little while. In the summer time.'

'Go 'pash?'

'No, the baby can't splash in the water yet. The baby will be very little, like when Tessi was born,' Dave explained patiently. 'Do you remember how little she was?'

'She li'l.'

'Exactly.'

'Carey make sure baby suh-tays safe, like me an' Tessi,' Dell reassured Lanie and Dave with a smile so sweet it made the mom-to-be well up a little more. 'Nothin' gonna get by me.'

'Wow, between her daddy, the dog and Dell, Tessi's never going to have a date,' Alexis joked; her phone buzzed and when she saw the initials _JP_, she felt her heart beat quickly. 'Excuse me.'

She left, all eyes on her retreating form as she booked it into her dad's office, her voice low and murmuring. Esposito arched an eyebrow and watched as she twisted her finger around a long lock of red hair. The hitch in his chest he'd felt was all too familiar; he'd felt the same thing when Lili had shown up on his doorstep, equal parts irritated and devastated because she was convinced Cam was going to dump her after blurting out she was a virgin while they'd been fooling around at Cam's apartment. True, it had been an overshare, but she was Lili and he was protective of her, just like with Meredeth, Tessi, and the other women in his life. He hadn't realized that until he saw the look on Alexis' face she was now one of those women as well.

He held onto his thoughts, though, as he saw the front door swing open and Castle and Ryan walked in carrying a flat white box end-to-end. 'We got it,' Castle told him when he went to rise and offer assistance. '

'What is that, Castle?' Lanie asked on a laugh, then men setting it down near the end of the buffet table.

'A present, for after dinner. No peeking.' He wagged his finger at her comically, then draped a dark sheet over it; where he'd gotten the sheet from was anyone's guess. 'But if the two-headed monster can give me a hand in the kitchen, that'd be great.'

'Okay.'

When the trio of men went into the kitchen, Castle rounded on them both. 'I need help,' he hissed. 'Kate is getting really irritated about Valentine's day always being such a big deal to me so I need some ideas on making it romantic but subtle.'

'That's it? I thought for sure you wanted advice on burying a body since Alexis and that French boyfriend started doing the nasty,' Ryan commented casually.

'No,' was Castle' automatic response. 'There's no way Alexis is doing..._that_.'

'She's what, twenty-one now? It's surprising she's waited that long, statistically speaking,' Esposito commented, thinking of the way he'd seen Alexis' look change when her phone peeped at her. 'Granted I'm not one to talk but still...what, did that not cross your mind?'

'No, it didn't,' Castle replied genuinely, 'and while you two might like to mock me, I'll have you know that everyone thinks your son and daughter are already childhood sweethearts.'

'That's just teasing, Castle,' Ryan said on a laugh, 'not at all the same thing that your daughter probably isn't a-'

'Hey guys, you want an extra pair of hands over here?' Alexis glided up, smooth as cream and eyes twinkling, and it made Esposito wonder how Castle, one of the most observant people he knew - cop or otherwise - could be so blinded to it.

'I think we're good here, honey.'

As Alexis sashayed off and Castle went back to food preparation, Ryan and Esposito exchanged glances. Seriously, how could he not see it. 'Castle, come on,' Ryan tried. 'How can you not see it?'

'What?'

'Step back, look at her like a writer.' Esposito jutted his chin towards where Alexis had sat down in a chair near Meredeth and Lili, who'd appeared from upstairs having changed Rosie's diaper. 'If you saw that young woman across the room at a party, talking like that with other women we know have very healthy and intimate relationships with their significant others, what would be your automatic response be?'

'They're trading war stories about men, like...' Castle felt the blood leave his head as he watched his daughter's body language, the way she gestured and held herself around these women, all married and all but one who'd had a baby. 'No. No, no, no. Oh, come on, that is so mean!'

'Boys, if you can't play nicely, you won't get dessert.'

Beckett, having come into the kitchen to refill Lanie's cider, teased her husband and his friends, then caught the look on Castle's face. 'Rich, what is it?'

He turned to her, looking like he'd seen the Devil incarnate. 'Lex is...is..._doing it_ with that _French guy_,' he hissed, and felt his gut twist painfully when Beckett gulped.

'How do you know about that,' she hissed, accusation in every syllable. 'Have you been eavesdropping on her?'

'These two said so.' Castle didn't hesitate a second to sell out his friends to his wife, pointing at them like a big brother blaming the smashed lamp on little brothers. His fears were not assuaged in the slightest when Beckett rounded the island and hugged her husband. 'What, it's true?'

'She's a young woman in love. Of course she's going to be intimate with JP.' Beckett left out the part where she and Alexis had sat up the entire night after the deed had been done on Skype, chatting in great detail about the entire experience from birth control to other more personal details that would send Castle into the psych ward if he knew his only daughter was experiencing them.

'I need a drink,' Castle said weakly. 'A very, very, big drink.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	44. First Word

It felt good to sweat, Esposito thought as he pushed himself through his cardio routine at the precinct gym. He loved these moments because he could find a little tranquility by crawling inside his own head, particularly now that the New Years were done and holiday crush of visiting had ebbed back to normal. Not that he didn't love his wife or his daughter beyond all reasonable measure, but he had a life full of talking - interviewing suspects, culling information from financial and phone records, dealing with the press on cases from time to time; his friends and family were all noisy people, and to boot, Tessi was on the verge of saying her first words as well. She babbled and imitated him and Meredeth in speech all the time now, it was a matter of days.

He hoped he would be there for that momentous occasion, but knew inevitably it was unlikely because of his job. That was part and parcel of being a cop with a family, he'd come to realize. He'd been late for dates with Meredeth, had them interrupted, they'd even had to cut their getaway weekend for their first anniversary short because a new case he was assigned to had cropped up. But Esposito also knew that Meredeth held nothing back with him, no matter how tough or painful so he knew when she said it was okay, it really was okay.

He focused his power on the barbell in his hands, mentally picturing his muscles flexing and extending as he listened to his latest episode of _Dallas, Lieutenant Eve_ on his iPod. He was still playing catch-up on it, and had discovered unlike _Heroes_, this was a series that he and Meredeth both loved. However seeing as it was in season 3 airing and he was still in the first half of the first season, he was using the personal time to fit in watching the episodes; he'd gotten hooked when Tessi couldn't settle one night when she had another tooth coming in - she had four in total now - so he'd flipped on the DVD with subtitles and discovered the futuristic NYPD cop series was not only a gritty cop drama but also appealed to his inner sci-fi nerd. Now, the sultry tones of Lieutenant Eve Dallas and the Irish ones of her lover Roarke had his attention as he completed his chest presses.

Only when he felt a tap on his knee did he open his eyes to see his partner and Gil Mazzara standing by his feet. With the barbell on its rests, Esposito sat up plucking out his earbuds, remembering to pause the track.

'Hey big daddy,' Gil grinned, dressed in his sweats. 'Just got finished telling your partner some big news.'

'Robina's pregnant.'

'No, better.'

'Better than another spitfire like Kelley?' Esposito mopped his face with his towel. 'That'd be pretty huge.'

'Robina and I are getting married.'

Esposito smiled, thrilled for his friend and popped up from the bench to pull him in for a manly hug. 'Congrats bro, when is the big day? You doing the full church thing or like what Mere and I did?'

'Well, that's were it gets weird,' Ryan explained, pulling the weights off the barbell Esposito had finished using to adjust it for himself. 'They're calling it a marriage but it's not going to be in front of a judge or priest or anything.'

'I'm confused.'

'We've been together for like two years, right?' Gil reminded them both. 'We decided on our three-year anniversary, we're going to exchange vows and rings but no paperwork.'

'Ah, so like a commitment ceremony,' Esposito said.

'Exactly. Robina and I both knew we'd never get married when we moved in and had Kelley but she's my wife, you get me?'

'Obviously, she's your wife. What about TJ?' Ryan asked.

'TJ and Robina and I all talked and he's decided to take my name, because it's his sister's name too, so both will be legally mine.'

Esposito knew that TJ had long ago become Gil's boy, from the first Christmas they'd had after Robina and Gil had started dating. They'd bonded in such a way that a young boy in need of a positive male authority and a man looking to become a father only could, and there were occasionally times when Esposito had to remember that TJ was biologically another man's offspring. 'Sounds like it'll be a great day, man.'

Gil's pager beeped on his hip. 'Yeah, yeah, I'll be there,' he muttered. 'I gotta jet, but I'll see you tomorrow night, Castle's for poker?'

'Sure.'

Esposito thought to slip away then, but remembered he also needed to talk to Ryan; despite his need for a solo chill during his workout sessions, he was too much his mother's son to avoid talking altogether. 'You and the fam still coming for dinner tonight?'

'Yeah, we're doing court prep while the women chat and the babies play. And Meredeth's cooking, so kinda hard to go wrong.'

* * *

When both men arrived at the Chelsea townhouse, they were greeted with a cacophonous assault on the senses - the sounds of Arturo barking punctuated with Tessi babbling as Dell used that sweet, patient voice with her, the scent of Meredeth's homemade pasta sauce combined with roasted meat, all wrapped up inside the warm glow of the fire roaring in the hearth.

'Daddy!' Dell had heard the front door open, and raced over to hug his father around the knees. 'You are home! Hi Javi! Tessi and I are playing Suh-pell-Master with her blocks and learning words!'

'Can she say any yet, or do you do all the talking?' Ryan asked, picking his son up for a hug himself.

'She's babbling away like you wouldn't believe,' Honey-Milk said, following her son out of the living room and holding onto Tessi's hand to walk her over to see her daddy. 'Mere's just checking on dinner. She finally charmed Dave's stuffed shells recipe out of him and is testing her version on us tonight.'

'Hihihihihi,' Tessi giggle, dropping Honey-Milk's hand and walking with arms outstretched towards Esposito. 'Dadadadada.'

'Hi princess, let's go find Mommy.'

Winter outer-wear stowed, Esposito didn't give a damn about his suit jacket getting wrinkled as he hoisted his daughter up and made her squeal excitedly as he blew a raspberry on her cheek; he laughed when she tried to do the same to him and it came off more like a fart. They sauntered into the kitchen together to see Meredeth in her apron adding shredded cheese to a casserole dish. Her smile was luminous as she looked up and saw he'd arrived home, and for a brief fleeting moment, Esposito felt his world become absolute perfection - the gorgeous loving wife who loved him outrageously and understood him so astutely, the beautiful baby girl they'd made together who had the best of both of them in her personality, the friends in the living room equally happy in their domestic bliss.

The need for solitude seemed like a distant memory.

'Hello Detective.'

'Hello Chef.'

'These need another fifteen minutes or so, but we can always keep them warming, I know you don't like to eat when you first get home,' she greeted him with a loving kiss, then rubbed noses with Tessi. 'No, Daddy's not hungry just yet is he?'

Tessi babbled a string of incomprehensible syllables both parents knew was her version of making sentences at this point, and Meredeth tickled her. 'And Mommy got to use Dave's recipe for dinner tonight, didn't she?'

'What made him give in?'

'That I had to promise on pain of death not to put it in my next cook book.'

'Book.'

Both Espositos looked at Tessi, who was blinking her dark blue eyes at her parents. 'Book,' she repeated.

'Oh my god, did she that?' Esposito looked at his wife in wonderment. 'Did I hear that right?'

'You heard? It wasn't just me thinking it?' Tears of joy and pride shining in her eyes, Meredeth stepped closer to watch her daughter's face. 'Tessi, what did you say?'

'Book.'

'Can you Mommy?'

'Ma-my.'

'What about Daddy?' Esposito asked excitedly.

'Da-dy.'

'Say Arturo, princess,' he added, pointing to the dog under the table, since Meredeth was too overcome with emotion to say much more.

'Ah-du-woh,' Tessi repeated. gesturing like her father did.

'Jenny! Kevin!' Meredeth raced into the living room, where they were enjoying a quiet chat on the couch as they kept an eye on Dell. Both blond heads whipped up at the urgency in Meredeth's voice. 'Tessi's talking, she's talking!'

They leaped off the sofa, Dell trailing in their wake, where they saw Esposito pointing to things in the kitchen and Tessi was repeating them as best as she could.

'Fork.'

'Fohk.'

'Plate.'

'Pit.'

'Tessi, can you say Kevin?' Ryan pointed to himself and to his delight, Tessi patted at his chest.

'De-vin.'

'Close enough. How about Jenny?' Honey-Milk asked.

'De-nny.'

'Me too!' Dell stretched to his tip-toes, tapped Tessi on the leg. 'Can you say 'Dell', Tessi?'

'Dell.'

Esposito and Meredeth looked at each other, shaking their heads and laughing. 'Of course she gets that one right.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	45. First Helping Hand

'Where's Tessi?'

'Dessi!'

'Where's Tessi?'

'Dessi!'

Meredeth laughed as she held up Esposito's t-shirt in front of her face in a modified peek-a-boo with her daughter. Since her first words had been spoken almost three, Tessi hadn't shut up so Meredeth was turning every household tasks - like folding laundry - into vocab lessons for her child. And after a day of being in meetings with CBS for another miniseries while Esposito watched Tessi, she was ready for the down-time with her baby.

For a moment, as she held the shirt close to her face she breathed deep the scent of her husband. Even fresh through the laundry there was still him - Old Spice and aftershave - in its fibres. She blew out a breath, sighed romantically.

'Smells like my finy and sexy Puero-Rican,' she murmured.

'Mell.'

'That's right sweetie.' Meredeth held out the shirt and chuckled when Tessi sniffed at it. 'Smells like Daddy.'

'Da-dy. Home?'

'He'll be at work for a little while.' Meredeth glanced over at the clock. Eight-thirty-two pm. Yeah, he'd be there for a lot more than a little while, but she had the laundry and her baby keeping her occupied, and once those were looked after a glass of wine and then a cheesy romance novel while the man of the house was on a swing-shift stake out that meant he'd get home after both his precious jewels were fast asleep.

Strike that, she thought, as she continued to fold Esposito's dress shirts, his boxers, his socks. Trying to call the thin little paperback entitled _Lovers in the Night_ a romance novel was like calling a porn flick a romantic movie. She may have purchased it in the 'Romance' section of Barnes & Noble, but it was nothing but two dozen or so euphemisms for genitalia.

God, what was the matter with her? she thought absently, organizing the little towers of folded clothes in her laundry basket to take upstairs. She didn't recall being this horny when she was pregnant. Maybe the hormones she was back on for her birth control. Maybe that was why she wanted to find her hubby and bang him until she passed out.

'Ma-my.'

'Yes, princess.' Shaken out of her fantasy by her daughter's voice, Meredeth blinked, saw Tessi stretching her arms upward.

'Hep?'

'I'll help you up.'

Meredeth tugged Tessi to her feet, and they walked hand in hand to the stairs, where Arturo streaked pass them to wait in the nursery for his young mistress to arrive. She stood a few steps behind the little tyke, who'd discovered the joys of climbing up and down stairs, keeping an eye on her in case she started to loose her gravity and go backward. They made it up without incident and Meredeth helped her put pjs, teaching her the new word which sounded more like 'pishies' but it was a start. Once in her crib for the night, Tessi fidgeted around until Meredeth asked her what was wrong.

'Dur-dell,' she said. 'Dur-dell.'

Meredeth grinned, made her stuffed Crush swim up her body until it reached her face and give her little kisses on the nose. 'Durdell,' Tessi sighed happily, and with one long-fingered hand gripping the plush toy, closed her eyes and began to blink herself to sleep. 'Da-dy.'

'You'll see him in the morning.'

'Ma-my.'

'I'm right here, princess.'

'Love.'

'Love you too.'

* * *

A few hours later, Meredeth was staring at her bathroom ceiling, ready to blow up. She'd finished the laundry and prepped dinner for the next day, then indulged in a long hot bath, complete with cucumber scented bubbles, a glass of icy pinot grigio to take her mind off the stress of the day. And hopefully, her husband would get home in a timely manner so she could get rid of all this extra juice in her sex drive.

If he didn't, that was okay too, Meredeth thought, she had no problems taking matters into her own hands. Then after Esposito came home, she'd rock his world with some wicked wake-up sex.

Climbing out of the tub, she rubbed her skin down, then went into her bedroom where she selected a pair of red cotton panties and her new romance book she knew was absolutely an excuse for smut, but right now she didn't care. With a few of the coconut scented candles as her reading lights, she stretched on the bed on her side, thumbed through to the 'good stuff'. As she read through the woefully mechanical tale of Sebastian and Lady Lucinda and their fantastically good sex, she found herself running her hands over her body, felt the thrum of libido between her legs.

She blew out the candles and rolling to her back to stare at the dark ceiling and began to fantasize about her and her man on some deserted tropical island, rolling naked through the sand. Ever thankful for her vivid imagination she slipped a hand between her thighs, imagined it was Esposito's hand touching her there. She could almost smell that ineffable scent of him, that always-

'Mere?'

Meredeth's eyes flew open as the building orgasm retreated, and she propped herself on her elbows. 'Hey baby. I thought you were working late.'

Esposito coudl only stare at his wife. Had she really been-? Had he just walked in on her-? 'We nabbed him in his apartment building and took him in but the guy cried lawyer, have to wait until morning to take another run at him.'

He stripped down to his underwear, noting that she'd been reading one of her so-called romance books. Female porn was a more accurate description, he thought, as he stretched out on the bed beside her, kissed her.

'Hi.'

'Hi.'

'Tessi was asking when you'd be home.'

'I stopped in and gave her a little kiss. Kid's out like a light.' Esposito rested his lips on her shoulder, sniffed. 'You smell good.'

'I had a bath before you came home.'

'With the coconut stuff?'

Meredeth had to grin; it had been their thing since the first night he'd slept over at her house - the first thought either had when smelling the scent of coconut was the dirty. 'No, the normal stuff. The coconut stuff is for special occasions, like anniversary dinners or theatre nights or holiday parties.'

'Well we have one of those coming up, hearts-day is only five days away. My parents are watching Tessi, which means you and I have all kinds of time to get coconutty.'

'Bad pun.'

Esposito kissed her again, then jerked away a little at the touch of her hand on his cheek. 'Your fingers are sticky, Mere.'

'Oh damn.' She went to reach for the Kleenex on the bed side table but Esposito grabbed her wrist before she could reach it. 'What?'

'I could have sworn you were, you know...' Embarrassed now, Esposito fought for words. 'Flying solo.'

'Flying solo?'

'Yeah you know, double-clicking the mouse, so to say.' When she said nothing, just turned onto her back so she was looking at the ceiling, Esposito felt his jaw drop open. 'You were?'

'Well I'm on these hormones which are making me horny as hell, and you weren't here so I took care of it myself.'

Esposito only shook his head; she had no idea the fact that she'd been touching herself made him very hot himself. Moving closer to her, he kissed her by the ear, whispering, 'I'm here now.'

Without any warning, Esposito slid his hand into her panties to feel just how aroused she was. It nearly made him pop his cork when he felt the warm slick welcome that usually came from him getting her all worked up. Taking his hand away only momentarily, he quickly shoved her panties down her legs. He lowered his mouth to her breast and deciding to really tease her, left his hand on her hip so that it was only his mouth that touched her in any kind of erotic way. He rolled his tongue over her rock hard nipple, smiled against her skin when he felt her arch her hips in demand. She grabbed his wrist as she dug her fingernails into his shoulder.

'Javi.' His name was a sob, almost a plea, on her lips, 'please.'

He said nothing, just moved his hand from her hip down the length of her thigh and back up, into that part of her that now pumped heat like a furnace, brushing his fingertips over the sensitive skin before sinking his middle finger inside her as his thumb pressed again her trigger.

She came almost instantly, her body vibrating with the need for release. She choked out his name as he stroked her, arching her back, until finally her body errupted and she collapsed on the bed.

He lay with her, watched her face as she struggled to come back to herself after the mind-blowing orgasm he knew he'd given her. When her eyes had cleared somewhat and focused on him, he smiled a little amused smile.

'Quite the welcome home. Hi honey, how was your day, Tessi says night-night Daddy, now how about a little _skede_-time, I've already started for you.'

The laugh bubbled out before she could help herself. 'That sounds so ridiculous.'

'Yeah but it works for us, don't you think?'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	46. First Illness

_Hey everyone, hope you loved the episode last night as much as me. And yes I absolutely loved it, despite my earlier apprehension, so we now have Espo getting the best of both worlds - Meredeth in the Crumbsverse and Lanie in the on-screen-verse. Be forewarned, this chapter deals with bodily fluids in a frank way so 'don't read while eating' is solid advice. Enjoy!_

* * *

'Javi, there's something wrong.'

Meredeth sat up like a shot when she heard Tessi through the baby monitor, crying and coughing like she'd never heard her do before. She shook his shoulder, waking him out of a dead sleep.

'Javi!'

'What?' His hand went to his hip in reflex for his weapon, then realized he was at home in his pyjamas with his wife. 'What?'

Not waiting for him, Meredeth bolted out of bed and headed for the nursery with Esposito on her heels. They stopped short when they saw Arturo sitting and staring at Tessi in the crib, who was whimpering pitifully on the verge of tears.

'She threw up,' he concluded. 'I can smell it all the way over here.'

'Ma-my? Da-dy?'

'What is wrong my love?' Meredeth asked, then saw it for visual confirmation - the smears of bodily fluid all over the sheets of the crib and all over her pjs front. 'Oh, baby girl, were you sick?'

'Ma-my,' Tessi whimpered pitifully. 'Miss.'

'I know it's a mess, but we're going to fix you right up.'

The smell was something ferociously disgusting but both parents had handled worse and wouldn't think twice about it when it was their daughter. Pulling off her top since skin was fair easier to rinse, Meredeth plucked Tessi and her ruined pjs out of the crib and took her into the bathroom to rinse her down in the big-girl tub while Esposito dealt with the soiled linens.

'Ma-my.' Tessi's voice was a study of misery; she probably had no idea what was going on and having recently acquired language with a thirty-word vocabulary, couldn't express herself the way she wanted to properly. 'Dub?'

'Yes, we're going in the tub.'

'Da-dy?'

'Daddy's looking after your bed, princess.'

Tessi opened her mouth once more, then gave a little hiccup and Meredeth prided herself on moving quickly so that when Tessi finished expelling the contents of her little tummy into the sink, she got no more than residual splash. 'Miss,' she said sorrowfully.'

'It's okay, Tessi. It happens to everyone.'

The tub had finished filling to the appropriate level and temperature, and Meredeth settled the naked tot on the cast-iron bottom, passing her one of her water toys. 'You want to hold Senor Froggy?'

'No.'

'Okay, then we'll just get you rinsed down you so don't smell.'

'I put everything into the wash on heavy soak with that baby-safe bleach.' Esposito came in also shirtless now, having handled the soaked fabrics of his daughter's bed, and with the house-line handset. 'Hey, Tessi-boo, how you feeling?'

'Miss.'

'I know it's messy when you're sick but we'll figure out what is wrong.'

He dialed the number for the Tele-Health Hotline and spoke to one of the RNs while Meredeth stroked the Egyptian cotton wash-cloth over Tessi's body until her trembling had subsided; being so violently ill had taken its toll on her. Meredeth glanced over, saw him taking notes like he was interviewing a witness or possible suspect and smiled. She had little to no medical background, save what she'd learned from Lanie and Honey-Milk, and for the first time since she'd been unable to calm Tessi when she was crying over something at six weeks, Meredeth felt totally and utterly useless.

'Okay, the nurse was very helpful, she said she didn't think Tessi had food poisoning because it would have been much sooner she was sick and since she's talking to us in her usual way, it's more than likely just a bug of some kind.'

'What about a fever, shouldn't I check for a fever?'

'You're right.' Esposito disappeared into the nursery and came back with the thermometer. 'Open up Tessi.'

'Da-dy.'

'Go like this.' Esposito stuck his tongue out and when his daughter mimicked him, he popped in the cold glass wand that had Tessi's little brow creasing in part confusion, part irritation. 'Good girl, Tessi, that's my big girl. Ninety-eight-point-three.'

'That's probably due to having a bath.'

'Agreed.'

'Ma-my. Hep?' Tessi lifted her arms up and was helped out of the tub, into a warm navy blue towel. 'Dummy,' she pouted, patting her stomach.

'Aw, sweetheart.' Esposito took her into his arms, held her close so she could feel his heartbeat. 'You want a storybook to calm down?'

'Book.'

'Your favourite thing. Maybe you'll be a writer like Mommy,' he said as they went into the nursery, where he fixed on her diaper and wrapped her up in a warm blanket before selecting a Doctor Seuss book; they were big enough that she could follow along and learn to turn the pages. Tessi was a very hands-on baby, even more than either of the Twelfth Precinct boys had been.

When she'd settled against his chest and into sleep, Esposito moved cautiously to stand up with her in his arms and walk into his bedroom, where he saw Meredeth had donned an old t-shirt and stripped the bed of their usual winter linens in favour of the old ones.

'She's out?' she asked him, and he nodded.

'Down for the count.' Gently as a man handling a live bomb Esposito laid the sleeping Tessi on the bed between them, flicked his fingertip down her pale cheek. 'Poor little thing.'

Meredeth froze when Tessi stirred, blinking her eyes. 'What is it baby?'

'Dur-dell.'

'Here we are,' Esposito said, tucking Crush into the curve of Tessi's arm after a quick search of the folds in the bedsheets and coming up with his daughter's bed-time buddy who'd miraculously avoided the melee. 'Sleep tight, princess.'

* * *

In the morning, when he was getting ready for work, it was the first time in Esposito's mind that Meredeth and Tessi weren't up with him. It was strange to be up solo since Tessi was an early riser but given that she'd woken up at one in the morning sick and hadn't gotten to sleep until nearly three and Meredeth had been awake for nearly an hour after that, he didn't blame either one.

It was no never-mind, either, he thought, as he packed his bag with his lunch from Meredeth and tucked in a new photo of Tessi to put on his desk. He'd called in a marker from his partner, one of many he still held in reserve; not only would it get him good husband points, it would give both him and Meredeth a little relief that they'd done the right thing.

His cell buzzed, and he read the text - _ding-dong_. Answering the door, he smiled at Honey-Milk in her post-night shift clothes.

'Thanks so much, Jenn, I really appreciate this. We both do.'

'Babies throwing up is never fun. You said talked to Tele-Health?'

'Yeah, they said if she was sick but not feverish there was no need to worry about food poisoning, which is what Meredeth was thinking it was, and Tessi didn't have any trouble breathing or rashes to indicate allergy, either.'

'Sometimes the vomiting is the reaction to allergy, but you had all the blood tests done before she was six months old which came back clean so it's probably just a bug.' Honey-Milk stripped off her coat, unlaced her boots. 'They're upstairs?'

'Yeah, come on.'

The cop and the nurse went upstairs, and Esposito shoved open the door. He crossed over to where Meredeth lay beside Tessi; the little girl had one hand around her turtle and the other one gripping Meredeth's index finger. 'Mere, my love,' he murmured, rubbing her hip gently.

'You going to work, Javi?'

'Yeah, but you've got company.'

Meredeth blinked rapidly, focused bleary eyes on the figure in the doorway. 'Hey Jenny, what are you doing here?'

'Your husband cashed in a favour with my husband, and I'm here to help you with your bub.' Honey-Milk came over and sat cross legged on the bed, saw Tessi was dead to the world. 'Has she stayed asleep?'

'Yeah, since about three or so.'

'And how many time was she sick that you know of?'

'At least twice.'

'Yeah, that sounds like what Dell had right before Christmas, and Lanie said that Carey got walloped just after New Years too. Nice of him to share his germs, huh?'

'Nice,' Meredeth repeated, and sitting up, felt the shift in her bladder. 'I'll be right back.'

Honey-Milk watched her zip into the ensuite, nodded at Esposito. 'She's a fighter, Javier. Not too many women I know would be so calm with a vomiting baby for the first time. That being said, I'm glad you called me. I know you two are super-supportive and love each other, but this is a female thing.'

'I thought so, it's why I called it in.'

His cell peeped in Ryan's ringtone. 'Esposito. Yeah, I'm good to go. She just got here about ten minutes ago. Right. Yep, got it. Bye. Mere, I gotta go. Gimme one for good luck,' he said when Meredeth emerged from the private bathroom; she came over and gave him a tender kiss.

'Love you, Javi.'

'Love you too, Mere.' He turned, bent to kiss Tessi's forehead. 'Love you too princess, get better soon.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	47. First Valentine's

_Hello all! So this is an unexpected treat, I am posting this chapter, as it's the 'crossover' chapter to the start of Surrounded by Hatchlings, and it is 100% NSFW. Enjoy!_

* * *

The morning of Valentine's Day, Esposito awoke to his cell going off in Ryan's ring-tone. Untwining himself from Meredeth, he reached past her to answered it.

'Esposito.'

'Dude, we caught one. Beckett's already there and says we need to move, pronto.'

'Okay, I'll pick you up in twenty.'

Esposito hung up on Ryan, and kissed the sweet, creamy skin on his wife's shoulder before tossing back the covers and padding naked to the ensuite. When he'd finished his morning ablutions, he came back out to find her laying out his suit, complete with pre-knotted tie on the foot of the bed. The love of his life, his queen, he thought, and tonight, he'd shower her what she meant to him.

Clearing his throat to keep himself from getting too into his fantasy about his night post-shift, Esposito hugged Meredeth from behind, slipping a hand beneath the loose drape of her kimono to tease her so she would be just as hungry for it later that night as he was.

'Good morning Valentine,' he murmured in a sultry tone in her ear, making her hum like a panther in her throat.

'Good morning yourself, Valentine. You're doing that on purpose, aren't you?'

'What?'

'Putting your hands on me to get me all worked up for you.'

'No, that's not true. If I were, I'd do this,' he teased her, moving his hand to her right breast to stroke the pebble-hard nipple there. 'That would be just exquisite torture, wouldn't it?'

'Very much so. Of course, if you keep doing that, you won't get chocolate-chip waffles.'

'Oh you do know your audience don't you?'

Meredeth turned around, kissed him sweetly. 'Let's just say that exquisite torture thing works both ways. Get dressed, Tessi and I will meet you downstairs.'

* * *

'Have you ever seen something like this?'

Esposito shook his head. The apartment wasn't big but because of its architectural layout the living room could comfortable hold the three dead bodies. All women had been stripped down to their underwear, white granny-panties no less, and each had been stabbed or shot through the chest with an eighteen-inch arrow. There was very little blood yet he knew all three of them would chalk this up as one of the most gruesome scenes they'd come across.

Lanie, already starting to pop out a little with her pregnant belly, was in her gel-soled boots and making notes between the body on the couch and the one on the floor. 'I can't confirm cause of death yet, but I can tell you these women all died within minutes of each other, sometime between three and four this morning,' she said, pausing to fish out a mint Life-Saver.

'Why no cause of death?' Beckett asked.

'Because of this.' Lanie pointed to the fluid dribblign from the lax mouths of all three victims. 'It's inconsistent with a stab to the chest so I'll be running a tox panel on all three ladies.'

'Detectives.'

A petite and round uniform whose skin matched the black of her jacket handed a feminine looking wallet over to Beckett, who sighed and cursed under her breath.

'Dammit. Thanks, Officer. Lady number two there, Shawna Prince, she's not a U.S. citizen, she's from Hamilton, Ontario and is here on a work permit which means we may have to co-ordinate with the Canadian authorities.'

Ryan and Esposito looked at each other, the same thought clear as day on their faces - bye-bye Valentine's sex with their wives.

When they'd sufficiently worked the scene as much as they could before the CSU teams arrived to do their thing, Esposito popped his cell out of his pocket and dialed home.

'Hey Javi, how's the morning going?'

'Rough. We caught a triple homicide so it looks like we're going to have to cancel our dinner reservation.' Esposito dragged his hand over his face, concerned when he heard no answer. 'Mere?'

'Oh, sorry, I was just watching Tessi eating here, making sure she doesn't choke. That sucks babe, but it's not like it hasn't happened before. Besides, I think you won't feel so bad when you see what we're having for dessert tonight.'

All the blood in Esposito's head drained right out and below his belt. 'Heart of Chelios?'

'With extra whipped cream.'

'I love you.'

'Love you too. Now go catch some bad guys.'

* * *

The first thing he noticed when he got inside was the lack of Tessi noise. She was always audible in the townhouse, gurgling and learning new words on a daily basis, a very bright young thing. Instead, the only sound was Meredeth on the phone.

'Yes, for delivery. Not a problem. Around ten-thirty is fine. Thank you.'

She hung up, then turned to see her hubby tugging off his tie as he came into the kitchen. 'Long one, huh, baby?'

'I left here at six-thirty, Mere. I was planning on already having you home and naked by now from the restaurant,' he sighed, plunking himself into the chair. 'But right now, I just want to freakin' die.'

'Well I've got just the cure for you. Our dinner is on order, Tessi is at your parents', and I've got Heart of Chelios chillin' in the fridge.'

Esposito looked up at her with such gratitude he was surprised he didn't weep. These were the moments when he considered himself the luckiest man on the planet, to have a wife so understanding and flexible with his job that she'd find a way to still make sure they had their romantic night together as planned. 'I love you Mere.'

'Love you too Javi, now go.'

He followed her directions and twenty minutes later, refreshed from the shower and dressed in his jeans and a Down in Ashes concert tee, Esposito jogged back downstairs to see Meredeth putting two plates of the infamous sex-cake on the living room table. She'd changed into her tiny black shorts and a lipstick red tank top with needle-thin straps that made her breasts look like juicy ripe mangoes.

'Dessert for dinner,' Esposito dipped his fork in, sighed. 'Oh yeah.'

When he opened his eyes, he saw she was still there, her cake almost completely untouched, and she was just sitting beside him, giving him the bedroom eyes that had his jeans instantly tightening. 'You're not hungry?'

'Starving,' she purred, then dipped her finger into the cream, dabbed it on his lips. Before he could react, she leaned in and nibbled it off his lips. Her mouth cruised over his jaw and she murmured in his ear, 'I love licking up your cream, Javi.'

'Good god, Mere,' he wheezed out when she nipped his earlobe; wisely he put his cake back on the table.

She slithered off the couch to her knees, pulled her tank top over her head so she was in just her tiny shorts. Shoving his knees apart, she moved up so her bare breasts rubbed against his clothed body. 'This can go,' she murmured, sliding her hand over his t-shirt, then under it to feel his muscled body before she peeled the cotton over his head. 'But only a little of this.'

She fused her mouth to his as she unzipped him, and slipped beneath his boxers to close her hands over him, her movements deliberately slow. Knowing the torturous route worked well on him, she started at his chin and trailed kisses all the way down until she reached where she'd touched him, awoken him. Her tongue darted out, teasing him, before she took him into her mouth completely, her palms resting on his thighs.

Esposito felt his eyes roll white in his head at the sensation of Meredeth's mouth suckling at him. It was hot, no other way to describe the feeling of his wife going down on him like that. He bit his lip as he groaned when her tongue laved him, stroked him, her lips nibbling here and there. She was so damn good at this, a talent of hers she very proud of and with excellent reason. Shifting, he slid his boxers and his pants a little farther down, then pressed his hand to the back of her head to hold her steady while his hips rocked.

'Mere...'

'What is it, Javi?' She kissed him and moved her eyes up to see him struggling to breathe. When he only moaned, loudly, she closed her eyes and sighed her own enjoyment.

'Right there, Mere, just like that, baby,' he managed, then felt the shift. 'God...Mere...yes!'

His oath slipped past his clenched teeth as he felt the orgasm tumble through him, out of him and into Meredeth. She took all of him in, not spilling a drop as he shuddered and tensed and relaxed until he was drained completely. When he'd stopped shaking a fraction, she released him, kissed her way up his body until she was sitting in his lap, her temple resting against his collar bone.

'I love you, Javi.'

'I love you too, Mere.'

He wrapped his arms around her, held her close so she could hear his heart racing and know what she did to him. While the sex was great, Esposito loved the aftermath, so his bride knew how much he wanted her just like she wanted him.

'And that's just a start,' she said in a sing-song voice. 'We've got all night.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	48. First Scare

'Hey Espo?'

'Yeah?'

'You're walking kinda funny, you okay?'

Esposito stopped, gave his right leg a shake. 'Yeah, I...ah, fell out of bed a couple of weeks ago.'

Ryan passed his partner a fresh coffee as they walked back to their desks to study their murder boards, trying not to be impatient as they waited for a DNA confirmation on their suspect for the Cupid murders. Now they were a mouth-swab away from finding out if he was their potential killer and Ryan, as always, found the time to needle his partner about whatever there was to needle him about.

'So, I take it you and Meredeth had a good hearts-day despite the long hours we put in?'

Esposito smiled, thinking of how he'd really hurt himself when he and Meredeth had rolled out of their bed onto the floor and once finished that particular round of sex, had curled up like cats with each other and stayed there until the next morning when they woke up and did it again. 'We put in some long hours of our own,' he said, pleased when Ryan spluttered, then added, 'and I supposed you and Jenny were, what, holding hands and drinking milkshakes?'

'Actually, she screwed my brains out on the kitchen table,' Ryan jabbed back, grinning in his own right when Esposito choked on his coffee. 'Hey, don't dish it if you can't take it.'

'Alright that's one apiece. Truce?'

'Deal.'

They fed the birds and then turned to the murder board. 'How much longer are we waiting on forensics?' Ryan pondered aloud.

'You're not.'

Both men turned to see Beckett strolling up with a file folder in her hand. 'You guys called it, pick up Ian Green for suspicion of murder, multiple counts.'

* * *

As Ian Green had no priors, and it was only suspicion of murder, both opted to pull their service pistols but left their vests in the Crown Vic. They were met on-scene by Karpowski and Newman, whom Beckett had tagged in her place while she was on her way to court over for a grand jury indictment hearing. Newman, like Geoffs, had taken and passed his detective's exam and try as they might, neither Ryan nor Esposito could get used to the sight of the spit-and-polish Newman in civilian clothes.

'Green's in his apartment, I'm heading to the fire exit on south end of the building,' he informed them. 'I'm on channel four.'

'Got it.' Ryan adjusted his communicator to Newman's frequency while Karpowski eagle-eyed the fire-escape attached to Green's apartment just above where they stood on the sidewalk.

A short elevator trip later and they were knocking on four-six-one. 'Ian Green! NYPD! Open up!' Esposito bellowed, hooking his service pistol out of his holster.

They began to count to ten and had reached seven when the skinny man and his tangle of thick brown hair opened up the apartment door. 'Yes, can I help you?'

Ryan badged Green. 'Ian Green, we need to bring you in for some questions regarding the murders of Shawna Prince, Thea Raymond and Emily Stevens.'

It happened in a split second, but Esposito was quicker. He'd seen the glint of the knife when the door was opened and shoved Ryan out of the way, using a kung-fu block so the slice he took in his forearm went through the layers of his coat, suit-jacket and shirt, and sliced his arm far more shallowly than the slice Ryan would have taken had it been in his chest. He grabbed Green's wrist, easily turning it and hearing the crunch of bone coupled with the shriek of pain from the skinny man, shoved him to the ground. His arm throbbed like a bad tooth but he was conscious and on his feet, and could hear Ryan getting Karpowski and Newman on the communicator for assistance.

'Officer requires assistance,' he hollered, then went over to examine Green, adding on, 'Ambulance required for suspect.'

'Copy that, Ryan,' was the crackling response.

'You sons of bitches,' Green yelped as Esposito flipped him to his stomach and attached one cuff to the good wrist, then the other to the rung of a kitchen chair. 'I'll sue you for assault!'

'If there's goign to be any assault charge, it's on you bro, for coming at Detective Esposito with a knife, I...' Ryan trailed off as he saw his partner was rolling up his sleeve to examine the extent of the wound. It was short and not terribly deep, but its location most definitely meant that he would get some stitches. Ryan grabbed a clean dish towel from Green's kitchen drawer and wrapped it around Esposito's forearm.

'Good thing you're not left-handed or your sex-life woulda gone right down hill,' he joked. 'That was a damn fool thing to do.'

'Better than me explaining to Honey-Milk you got stuck like a pig on a Tuesday morning. Hand me my cellphone, bro.'

Ryan dug it out of the pocket of Esposito's shredded overcoat, and knowing his partner's mind like his own, hit speed dial 1. Leaning forward so his forearm naturally created pressure against his thigh, he waited to hear Meredeth's voice.

'Hey, Javi, there's someone here who wants to say hello!'

Esposito didn't stop her from holding the phone to Tessi's ear, as he was still waiting for the paramedics to get there. 'Hi princess.'

'Da-dy!'

'How are you, my sweet?'

'Hap-py.'

'I'm glad to hear that. Let me talk to Mommy, okay?'

'Love.'

'I love you too.'

There was another shuffle on the end of the line, and Meredeth's voice, smooth and low came back on. 'How's the morning going?'

'I've had better. I had a suspect pull a knife on me and he sliced my forearm so I'm needing some stitches.'

'Okay.' Meredeth felt the tension on the back of her neck, but not in her stomach and definitely not in her heart. 'Is it bad?'

'No, more awkward than anything. Hang on.'

Esposito saw the paramedics coming through the door and recognized one as a friend of Dave's. 'Lucas, right?' he addressed the EMT. 'You work with Dave Robbins, right?'

'Yeah.'

'I'm Javi Esposito, Dave's married to a friend of ours. My, ah, wife's on the phone, think you can give her a damage report?'

'Sure.' Lucas had dealt with hysterical spouses before but he'd heard Dave mention Meredeth Esposito's name as a friend of Lanie's and knew that she just wanted the straight goods.

Esposito put his phone to speaker while the other paramedic and Ryan tended to Green for treatment and transport. 'Mere, the paramedics just got here, and they work with Dave, his boy Lucas is fixing me up.'

'Lucas, good morning.'

'Morning, ma'am, your husband's fine, he's hardly lost any blood and the wound is shallow but awkward, like when you skin your knee. He's going to need about ten stitches max to close him up.'

'Sounds fine. You're out of Saint Vincent's, right? I'll meet you in Emergency then.'

'We're going to send him by ambulance but that's protocol, nothing more, and we'll make sure you get let in.'

Esposito nodded and switched his phone back to privacy mode. 'See, I'm just fine.'

'Yeah, you are. We'll see you there soon.'

* * *

Once in the ER, because he was a cop, Esposito had an all-access pass and was seen to right away by McCrea, a ginger-haired man with a grizzly bear voice. With the numbing agent administered Esposito let his mind drift a little, and through the cacophony of the busy ER heard his Danish angel's voice.

'Excuse me, my husband, Javier Esposito, he's a cop brought in for stitches, where can I find him?'

'Mere, babe, over here!'

The curtain whisked back and for the first time since he realized he'd been sliced felt a sliver of panic when he saw Tessi in Meredeth's arms, smiling at him, and realized Ryan was right, he'd done a damn fool thing that could have been a lot worse.

'Da-dy,' she trilled in the sunny voice of the innocent.

'Hey, baby and baby.' Esposito gave his girls each a kiss. 'I'm fine, just nicked the skin layer, no nerves or tendons.'

'So why the stitches?'

'Because of the location,' he explained, pleased when Meredeth nodded in her patient, understanding way while McCrea finished the last suture. 'I need them to hold the skin together to let it heal properly.'

'There, keep it dry for twelve hours and then no scrubbing, just flowing water over the area. I'll go grab your discharge papers and a scrip for some painkillers in case you need 'em.'

When McCrea had gone, Meredeth set Tessi on the gurney beside Esposito and gave him a kiss. 'My rule of thumb is if you can talk to me, you're fine. If you can't you're not fine.'

'Good rule.'

'Oosh?' Tessi patted Esposito's hand. 'Oosh?'

'Yeah, it hurts a little but the doctor's fixed it all up. I'm much better now.'

He instantly felt better when he watched Tessi studied the white gauze around her daddy's arm, then leaned over and bumped her little lips against it. 'Bedda.'

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


	49. First Birthday

_So here we are at the end of Rookie Year, thank you to every last one of the readers and fans who are making writing the crumbsverse so fulfilling, and hang on to your hats because don't forget, we've got not one or two but THREE crumbsian babies being born in Surrounded By Hatchlings! Enjoy!_

* * *

'Cake?'

'In the fridge.'

'Ice cream, in the freezer. What about the mac and cheese?'

'I moved it from the freezer into the fridge last night, it should be thawed and good to go along with the lasagnes.'

Meredeth smiled, looking around the kitchen and thought about the gravity of the day. One year, she thought, one year ago since that beautiful baby had come from her body. Fifteen hours of labour and a near-miss in the delivery room, with her husband murmuring words of encouragement even as she'd called him every foul name in the book. And here they were one year later with their beautiful Tessiana, walking and talking and generally being the best baby anyone could ask for.

It was coupled with the awful sensation that Constance wouldn't be there, but Meredeth had chosen not to dwell on that, a choice that was difficult to keep from time to time but there was so much good to focus on as well - namely, that their friends would be coming for dinner, as would Tessi's little group of people.

Esposito saw the pensive look in his wife's eyes and gave her a hug. There were days himself where he could hardly believe something so sweet and innocent had come from him. 'Hard to believe isn't it?'

'I know. This time last year, Tessi was almost twelve hours old and we were eating pizza in my maternity suite at Saint Vincent's.'

'Now we get Italian food again, only in the comfort of our own home and with our birthday princess.'

'Birdie!'

The proud parents looked over to wear Tessi was sitting in her high chair, waiting for lunch to be served since they would be eating later that night. 'Birdie!' she said again, clapping her hands as she tried out this new word. 'Birdie, birdie birdie!'

'Who's birthday is it today?' Meredeth laughed, pulling up her chair across from her daughter, who was pushing Cheerios around the tray. 'It's Tessi's birthday today isn't it?'

'Dessi!' Tessi munched a Cheerio, then swallowed and asked sweetly, 'Dell?'

'Yes, princess he's coming today.'

'Yea!'

Esposito laughed. 'What are we going to be like if those two actually start dating?'

'They won't, Dell will be too terrified of you.'

'Me!' He put a hand to his chest and pulled a face. 'I'm wounded, Mere.'

'Want me to kiss it better?'

'Naturally.'

Meredeth bit her lip, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him close for a big fat one. Over her shoulder, she heard the sound of applauding.

'Moosh!'

'And Dell Ryan strikes again,' Meredeth murmured with a giggle as her husband reached down and patted her ass. 'That's for later.'

'Naked cake leftovers?'

'And maybe more.'

Esposito grinned, then followed Arturo out to the door when he heard the knock on the front door. He answered it, saw Ryan, Honey-Milk and Dell on the other side.

'It's Tessi birth-day today! I have a puh-resent!' Dell declared proudly. 'Where is she?'

'In the kitchen with Meredeth. Shoes first, little bro.'

Dell dutifully sat down, adding 'Mama has a surp-puh-rise for ev-ery-one too!' and unfastened the Velcro straps of his sneakers before running into the kitchen, leaving his parents in the doorway with the curious Esposito.

'A surprise, is it?'

'Yeah, and I'm surprised my boy didn't go running his mouth off already,' Ryan commented, bringing the gift for Tessi into the kitchen, and greeting the girl of the day with a kiss on the top of the head. 'Happy birthday, Tessi.'

'Birdie!'

'Can I get you guys a drink?' Meredeth offered, going to to fridge for beers.

'Something soft for me.' Honey-Milk gave her husband a gooey smile, then nodded at Dell. 'You want to tell them, big guy?'

'Mama has a suh-now-fuh-lake baby in her tummy!'

Both Espositos gasped dramatically, Esposito staring at his partner and Meredeth clapping her hands to her mouth. 'Really?' she squeaked in excitement.

'Really, really, it's going to be due the same day as Beckett's.'

Esposito pulled his partner in for a bear-hug, and couldn't resist ribbing his partner. 'Kitchen table, huh,' he muttered, and Ryan blushed a little.

'Oh man! A triple header!' Meredeth raced over and squeezed Honey-Milk tightly. 'We're going to need a freakin' huge turkey at Christmas this year!'

'I getta be a big buh-rother!' Dell smiled proudly. 'But I suh-till love my Tessi.'

'How'd he take the news?' Esposito asked, passing Ryan a beer. 'Beckett said Alexis was through the roof happy. Your little man all stoked for more babies?'

Ryan glanced over to where the women were chatting and watching Dell help Tessi with her cereal. 'He thought we wanted to replace him, because he has diabetes.'

'Poor kid. Must have been hell inside that little mind of his.'

'Tell me about it.'

'Daddy, Tessi is eating big girl food.' From his spot at the table, Dell called out to his father.

'Well she's getting to be a big girl now herself.'

There was another knock on the door, and Meredeth looked over to where Tessi was finishing nibbling on her snacks. 'Come on, there birthday girl, time for you to put on your party dress.'

* * *

By three, everyone had arrived and Tessi was gobbling up the attention, telling everyone in earshot it was her 'birdie'. Dell, the self-appointed guardian of Tessi made sure he helped her practicing blowing out candles; Carey and Rosie, not to be outdone, showed Tessi how to open presents by practicing with the _Daily Mail_ Meredeth had picked up to clip the announcement of Tessi being a year old. Since it was recycle bound anyways, Meredeth didn't mind.

Ryan and Honey-Milk had taken the opportunity as well to tell everyone that there was another Ryan on the way, which had everyone cheering; Ryan had felt like announcing it would take away from Tessi's day, but Esposito had pointed out that it was a day for celebrating birth so what better time to share the news. The women, including a very visibly pregnant Lanie - she was almost at six months already - had given double hugs and congratulations to Honey-Milk while the men had made Ryan turn poppy-red, and they'd showered Dell with compliments how he would be such a great brother since he was so good with the other kids.

And of course, they sighed cooed over Tessi, the birthday girl herself, making Meredeth's heart smile. It still amazed her such a miracle had come from her body, her and Esposito making that little life together on a steamy afternoon on the long weekend in July.

Bye seven, they'd eaten their fill of lasagne and ziti and for the children her homemade mac-and-cheese, a dish which Tessi had sampled and couldn't get enough of when she'd gotten to start trying solid foods and cow's milk; all three dishes had everyone in full food-gasm mode.

'Oh, Mere, I think you're going to find me hanging around your trash bins like a raccoon,' Beckett sighed, setting aside her plate. The bursts of hunger between morning sickness were making her want cheesy-everything and her friend's home cooking. 'No wonder you went nuts for those shakes she made you, Lanie.'

Lanie smiled, rubbing her hand over her popped-out belly where Carey's little brother or sister was doing somersaults. 'I don't think it would take too much arm-twisting for Meredeth to make some for you, you know.'

'Just ask nicely,' Meredeth said, then grinned when her daughter came in with a clean mouth. 'You all finished, princess?'

'No miss.'

'I see you're not messy, very good. Was Dell helping you eat?'

'Dell.'

'I'll take that as a yes.'

From his spot at the island between Castle and Ryan, his brothers, Esposito shoveled in the last of his lasagne and watched his two girls. 'Look at them,' he murmured. 'Who knew this was what I was in for when I stormed out of the restaurant that night, huh?'

'I did, once I put the pieces together,' Ryan teased him.

'Me too,' Castle added.

Esposito laughed, felt his heart surge with pride as that little bit of perfection, in a dark purple dress with curly black hair and blue eyes toddled towards him on her still slightly-shaky legs. Tessi stopped and patted at her dad's calves.

'Da-dy. Up?'

'Of course, princess.' He scooped her up and kissing her cheek, made her giggle. 'You ready for cake and ice cream?'

'Kim. Yum.'

'You got that right, baby girl.' Esposito looked over at Ryan and Castle, who nodded and went to round up the bodies from the living room. 'Mere, let's do the cake thing now, so she can have a little before she needs to say night-night.'

'Ni-ni.'

When everyone had assembled, Esposito sat at the table with Tessi on his knee, the lights dimmed as Meredeth brought over the ridiculously girly cake with fishy decorations and the words 'Happy 1st Birthday Tessi' in bright blue script'. As the rest sang to the littlest Esposito, all three bent their heads together to blow out the candles.

* * *

R&R&Enjoy.


End file.
